When Everything Else Is Gone
by Beetlebum101
Summary: *ON HIATUS* Bella Swan is a 27 year old chronic singleton with a best friend who loves to play matchmaker. With hope fading fast, an ex-boyfriend who has a lot to answer for and a few secrets that should remain buried, will Bella ever find her special someone? AH
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I**** own nothing. Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and everything to do with it.**

**A/N: Well, as you guys probably guessed, this is going to be an AH Alice/Bella story, told from Bella's POV. It is rated M for language, adult themes and future sexiness. I'd love to know what you all think of this first chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

"But, Rose, I don't _want_ to go," I whined as I sat on the edge of my bed, watching my friend silently disapprove of the state my room was in. She had got into a routine of doing this to me periodically, usually when I started to show signs of turning into Howard Hughes. Once again, some poor, unsuspecting man was going to have to put up with my awkward behaviour while we made painful small talk over a dinner table. Or '_a date' _as she liked to call it.

"Come on, Bella, it's one date. I'm sure you'll survive. This one is nicer than the last one, I promise," she responded, encouragingly, while rummaging through the piles of clothes that littered my floor. _That wouldn't be difficult_, I thought to myself. "Besides, when was the last time you went out?" She continued, turning round to face me with her hands on her hips.

"Well, we all went to the aquarium last month, remember? Although, I must say, it was a bit-"

"On a DATE, Bella!" She practically growled at me, sounding exasperated and gesticulating with her hands. I knew that's what she meant, I was just trying to distract her. No such luck. As it happened, it had been quite a while since my last 'date' so I knew deep down I wasn't going to win this one. Nevertheless, I wasn't going down without a fight, at least.

"I don't want to date anyone. I've told you before - I'm happy on my own," I stated triumphantly.

"And I've told _you_ before - I don't believe you," she countered, tilting her head slightly to one side.

Every single time we have this same, circular conversation and she always wins. Except once, when I was sick. Okay, pretending to be sick. She did know me infuriatingly well, I have to admit. I _wasn't_ happy on my own and she knew it. It was just a line I fed her to make her stop matchmaking because, in all honesty, I had given up; to the point where I just wasn't trying anymore.

Also, she was terrible at matchmaking. As long as one had a penis and one had a vagina, nothing else seemed to matter to her.

"Please, Rose, don't do this to me. You know I hate going on these blind dates. I get all nervous, I stutter and nine times out of ten I fall over at some point during the evening," I argued, pouting slightly and giving the puppy dog eyes that got me off the hook with everyone but her.

She grinned at me. "I know. They always tell me about the falling over part," she announced, her demeanour changing to one of genuine amusement, while I groaned in embarrassment. Of course they would tell her that part. "I don't understand why you always put up such a fight when I set these things up for you, Bella. I'm just trying to help you."

And here comes, the guilt train, right on schedule. I know she only does it because she worries about me. That's why I always give in: to keep her happy.

"I know, I just… it'll be a waste of time, it always is." I hung my head when I said that and suddenly found my fingernails incredibly interesting. This was going to go the same way as that horrendous dinner I had with Eric Yorkie. I could just feel it. I heard Rose's footsteps come closer before feeling a new weight settle beside me on the bed. She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and I turned my face towards her.

"You never know when you'll find that special someone, Bells. For all you know it could be Mike," she said, looking me straight in the eye and smiling.

"Mike?" I inquired.

"His name is Mike Newton. He just started at my office a few weeks ago. He seems nice," she finished, a bit too emphatically.

"Yeah, you already said that," I mumbled before continuing. "I think I'm getting too old for this, Rose. Not to mention your entire work place probably thinks I'm some kind of a desperate… cougar!" I hastily spluttered out, going slightly red in the face.

"Cougar?" she repeated, chuckling slightly. "Bella, you're only twenty-seven. Don't worry about that. I know loads of thirty-something's in exactly the same situation and they are way more desperate than you," my very best friend in the whole, wide world said to me. _Thanks, babe, big help. _

She just didn't get it…

I had nearly exhausted my arsenal of excuses not to go and she took full advantage of my silence. "So, are you going to go?" she asked brightly, clearly ignoring the slightly irritated expression on my face.

"Fine," I answered with a dramatic sigh.

"Good girl," she cooed in a patronising tone of voice before kissing the side of my head. "Now, tell me, do you actually own anything apart from jeans and plaid shirts?" she asked sarcastically as she resumed her perusal of my discarded clothes.

"Of course. There's sweat pants and tank tops in the drawer," I replied with a straight face.

She looked at me with a raised and perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You really do know how to annoy me, Swan, you know that?"

I just smiled at her. Silly Rosie, of course I knew. That's why I did it.

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><p>I was staring across the dinner table at Mr. Mike Newton (in a very mediocre restaurant, I might add) three days later. As he talked incessantly about himself, I was trying to decide exactly how many bottles of product he had used on his gravity defying, blonde hair. <em>Just the one, I think. <em>I had paid enough attention at the start of the conversation to know that his parents owned some kind of shop not too far from here. _I should really find out the name so I can avoid it. Maybe it's just called _Newton's_. Maybe it's…_

"…And, basically, that's how I got into finance." I abruptly came back down to earth and tuned in just in time to hear the end of his monologue.

"Mmm, that sounds really interesting," I said with a smile and a nod and quickly proceeded to shovel a fork-full of pasta into my mouth. My contribution to the conversation seemed to please him no end, judging by the smug look on his baby face.

"What about you? Tell me something interesting about Bella Swan," he asked, laughing lightly at his own choice of diction. It was hard to tell if he was being intentionally patronising or if he just spoke like that naturally.

I'm never sure what people are looking for when they ask that question. Something interesting? Like, how I can fit half a bag of skittles into my mouth in one go? I think that's interesting but, if my past dates are anything to go by, most other people don't. "Rosalie told me you work mostly from home. What exactly do you do?" He jumped in again while cutting into his 6oz steak.

This one I could answer. "Oh, well, I'm an Illustrator. Mostly children's books, but I get the odd freelance job doing posters, greeting cards, that kind of thing."

As far as I was concerned, I had gone as far as I could with that particular conversation topic. He, however, looked at me with an impish smile, obviously expecting me to say more. "So, umm… yeah, I work mostly from home. I have to travel every so often to meet with publishers but other than that…" I trailed off, nodding my head like a moron.

After a slight pause, he began nodding his head in much the same way. "That sounds really cool. I don't think I'd have the self discipline for something like that," he added with a chuckle. There was an awkward silence before he finally spoke up again. "Will you excuse me for a minute, I need to use the bathroom."

"Sure."

I watched him leave the table and couldn't help but notice one of his trouser legs was tucked into his sock. I shook my head a laughed to myself. This really was just like dinner with Eric Yorkie, at least Mike didn't seem to have a perverted fascination with my breasts. That was a Tyler Crowley special, that one. _God Rose, you sure can pick them._

I had noticed a woman a few tables to the left of ours when I arrived and she seemed to be having the kind of horrific date that rivalled my own. My eyes followed the man she was with as he got up and walked towards the restrooms, with an almost visible cloud of cologne trailing after him. _Seriously buddy, I can smell you from here_. Just as I brought my eyes back to his female companion, the woman in question did something that, quite frankly, shocked me. She took a quick scan of the room, opened her purse, threw some money on the table and swiftly left the restaurant, disappearing from sight.

I stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the door she had just fled through, with only one thought going through my head: _Why had I never thought of doing that? _How many terrible dates had I been set up on over the past three years, and not once had I ever thought to run away as fast as my clumsy legs would carry me.

I quickly shook those thoughts away. I couldn't possibly leave… could I? It's not like I was ever going to see him again anyway. It would be humiliating for him, though. Not to mention the fact that Rosalie would kill me when she found out. Because she _would_ find out… My hands seemed to be moving towards my purse before my brain could process the decision. Before I knew what I was doing, I had flung money on the table and was half way through the glass-panelled doors.

Sorry Mikey.

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><p>"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!"<p>

I had been sitting peacefully in Rose and Emmett's living room, having a civilised conversation with Emmett himself, when we both heard the unmistakably aggravated voice of Rosalie shout from the top of the stairs.

"God, Bella. What did you do?" my best friend's burly husband asked, a look of terror on his face. He had often been the cause of that tone of voice in his wife and he seemed to be genuinely scared for me. I simply responded with a shrug, trying my best to act nonchalant. In reality, I knew exactly why she was now stomping down the stairs and, to be honest, I was surprised it had taken this long. My right leg began to jitter uncontrollably as I sat on the sofa, waiting for the blonde bomb-shell to appear.

"Bella! What is the matter with you! How could you do that?" She was furious. Her hands were on her hips and her left eye seemed to be twitching slightly.

"Hey, Rose, what's up?" I countered pleasantly, trying to diffuse the tension. However, she didn't look impressed and proceeded to close her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose, obviously trying to calm down.

After a few deep breaths, she tried again. "I just got off the phone with Mike and he said you did a disappearing act last night at dinner, while he was in the bathroom?" It was phrased as a question but I didn't know if I should answer or not. Luckily, I was saved by Emmett's booming laughter but it quickly ceased as Rosalie turned her glare on him, acknowledging him for the first time since she had entered the room. He cleared his throat and mumbled something incoherent before ambling out the front door, leaving Rose and I alone in the house.

"Rose, honestly, it's not as bad as it sounds," I said, holding my hands up as a sign of peace. She raised an eyebrow and looked at me incredulously. She was trying to make eye contact but I couldn't bring myself to meet her gaze so my eyes darted round the room, looking at anything that wasn't an angry, blonde woman.

"Did you, or did you not, leave Mike Newton sitting in a restaurant by himself, utterly humiliated and heart broken?" She asked very slowly and dangerously. _Heart broken? Honestly, she's such a drama queen._

"Come off it Rose, I left more than enough money to cover both of us and it's not like the evening was going very well." I was starting to get irritated and that just didn't happen with Rosalie. Sure, we got annoyed with each other, almost on a daily basis, but it was nothing more than banter. This was different.

"It _never_ seems to go well with you! Is that really your excuse for running out? Have you done this before? Is that what happened with Sam? God, Bella, why do I even bother." She rambled somewhat rhetorically, sounding completely exasperated.

And that was it. I had reached my breaking point. Her annoyance and total disbelief at my actions I could put up with; I'd been doing it for years. But the accusations and insinuations that everything was my fault didn't sit well with me. I had tolerated Rose's obsession with my love life for years to placate her; as a way to convince her I was okay. In doing so, I had inadvertently made myself even more miserable. I was tired of being miserable; tired of pretending. It had to stop.

"I don't know, Rosalie, why _do_ you bother? You know damn well I hate going out with random guys, but that doesn't seem to matter to you," I shouted, my eyebrows furrowing. She looked slightly taken aback and genuinely confused.

"Bella, I'm trying to help you," she said in earnest, removing her hands from her hips and letting them fall at her sides in a less threatening pose.

"Help _me?_ You're trying to help yourself! Tidying me away into a relationship with some nice, reliable man who looks good in a suit so you don't have to worry about me anymore." Her eyebrows had risen and she looked like I had just slapped her across the face.

"Bella, that's not-"

"JUST-!" I began in a shrill voice but stopped when I felt my voice start to quiver and I turned my face away from her. I needed to leave. I couldn't cry in front of her. Straightening to my full height, I made my way out of the living room towards the front door. "Just leave me alone, Rosalie, alright." My voice sounded monotonous and defeated even to my own ears as I escaped into the night.

I made my way across the street to my own house and, after fumbling slightly with my keys, I flung the door open and dissolved into tears. "Shit," I choked out as I slid down the wall adjacent to my front door, my head in my hands. I had never flown off the handle like that with Rose before and if she wasn't worried before, she sure as hell would be now. What was wrong with me? I knew she was only trying to help me and still I lashed out at her like she was to blame for everything. I hauled myself to my feet again and wiped furiously at my eyes before dragging my hands through my long, chestnut coloured hair. _My life is a sham._

I made my way upstairs into the bathroom, where I proceeded to strip down and step under the hot mist of the shower. The cleansing water did little to improve my mood and ran cold all too quickly. Within fifteen minutes I was sitting at my kitchen table wearing a pair of purple pyjama bottoms and a white tank top. Already feeling like white trash, I thought I would complete the look by getting myself a beer from the fridge and drinking it from the neck. Not long after I had situated myself back down at my wobbly table, I heard a key turning in my front door. I didn't even turn my head when I heard footsteps coming towards me; I knew who it was. Only one other person had a key to my house.

"I gave you that key for emergencies, you know," I stated evenly before inclining my head towards my guest.

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Emmett ate all the hummus so…"

I smiled slightly in spite of myself and shook my head good naturedly. She returned my smile before slowly moving towards the table and gracefully lowering herself into the seat directly opposite me. By this stage I had averted my gaze again and it was a few moments before Rose broke the silence.

"Bella, what's going on?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you hate me setting you up all the time but you used to at least make the effort. Now, you just seem…" she trailed off, gesturing randomly with both hands, obviously trying to physically illustrate what she couldn't find words for. I still couldn't bring myself to look at her and started to pick at the label of my beer bottle. A sigh left my lips when I realised Rose wasn't going to budge until I opened my mouth.

"I don't know. I just feel like…" I began, before cutting myself off and chewing slightly on my bottom lip. "Maybe I'm just one of those people who is meant to be alone," I finished in a self-deprecating tone.

Whatever my companion was expecting, it wasn't that. She stared hard at me for a moment before slowly reaching over and prising the beer bottle from between my hands, placing it to one side. Her hands slipped into my own and she ducked her head in an attempt to make eye contact.

"Bella, look at me." I did as she asked. "Listen, I know how much Edward hurt you, but you can't let-"

"I swear to God, Rosalie, if you bring that shit up tonight, I will throw up on you!" I said loudly, cutting her off in a dangerous voice, suddenly not so hesitant to look her in the eye. I watched my dearest friend stare at me strangely, smirk, and then burst into a fit of laughter. At that point, the ridiculousness of what I had just said hit me and I couldn't help but laugh too.

It took several minutes for the pair of us to calm down enough to communicate again. When I had wiped the last of the joyful tears away, I got Rose's attention once more.

"No more dates, Rose, please. Promise me," I pleaded.

She studied my face for a moment before answering. "Only if you promise me something in return," she countered, her face slowly turning serious. I raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"Don't ever give up on yourself, Bella."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and everything to do with it.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who alerted/favourited and a BIG thank you to those who reviewed. Keep 'em coming!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Yes, I know that… I _know_, Demetri, but-"

I rubbed my left hand across my forehead in frustration as I listened to one of my publishers yell at me down the phone. A new children's book was being published and I had been commissioned to do the illustrations. Recently, I had the attention span of a napkin so I had fallen a bit behind schedule.

"_It's not just your ass on the line here, Swan. Do you want this job or not? Friday is your deadline, you got it?" _he barked at me. I could just imagine the vein throbbing in his temple.

"Got it," I replied through gritted teeth, resigned to the fact that I would be forgoing sleep for the next two days.

"_Good. Don't let me down, Bella," _he finished in a slightly less hostile voice, hanging up before I could reply.

After hanging up myself, I growled in vexation and flung my phone onto the table. I was usually so good at managing my time when I had a job on the go and the one time I let myself slip, I'm vilified. I had propped my elbows on the desk and was wringing my hands distractedly, contemplating my situation, when my phone began to ring again. _You've got to be kidding me_.

"Jesus, Demetri, it'll be on your desk before lunch on Friday, and I'd get it finished a lot sooner if you would just…"

"_Bella?" _A much friendlier and deeper voice said from the other end. My brow furrowed and I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the screen. _Rose Home _was displayed and I suddenly realised who I was talking to.

"Emmett? Sorry, I thought… never mind. What's up?"

"_You alright, Bells? You sound stressed," _he inquired, sounding slightly concerned.

"It's just work stuff. What can I do for you, Em?" I replied, fishing for a distraction from my current bad mood.

"_Oh, well, I'm inviting you over for dinner tonight. Rose will be there too so it's not a date, don't worry," _he finished with a boyish chortle.

"Funny," I deadpanned, although I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. "What's the occasion?"

"_Me cooking, of course," _he announced like an overgrown toddler. Sometimes I wondered how on earth he and Rosalie made such a good couple. They really were polar opposites.

"That certainly _is_ an occasion because, Emmett, sweetie, you can't cook," I stated matter-of-factly.

"_Of course I can!"_ the burly man-child countered defensively, and I could almost hear him pout. I had to bite my bottom lip to restrain myself from mentioning the time he had tried to cook a pork chop in the microwave. _"I'll have you know, I've been practicing," _he finished smugly.

"Uh-huh," I mumbled disbelievingly. "So, what does Rose think of this last minute dinner party?" I asked, knowing that my best friend would probably end up being the one cooking dinner, rather than her husband.

"_Rose… well, she… umm…" _He trailed off, stumbling and stuttering over his words.

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "Emmett, what's-?"

"_Nothing! Nothing… So, yeah, we'll see you at seven then, okay?"_

I agreed and the phone conversation came to an end. Since I would be out of the house for a few hours later on, I decided it was best to try and get as much work done as possible before I left. As I began a rough sketch of an elephant doing a cartwheel, my mind wandered back to my last phone call. Why in God's name had I been invited for dinner? And why had Emmett's demeanour changed so drastically when I mentioned Rose? He usually only acted like that when he had seriously pissed off his wife. My women's intuition told me that Emmett Cullen was in the doghouse.

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><p>It was just after seven o'clock and I was standing outside Rose and Emmett's house waiting for someone to answer the door. There was a chill in the air and, despite living just across the street, I found myself wishing I had worn a jacket. As it was, I made do with putting my hands in the pockets of my jeans to keep them warm. Soon enough, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps and the door in front of me swung open to reveal Rosalie, who didn't look very pleased to see me.<p>

"Hey, Bella," she greeted, in an almost emotionless voice. "I hope you're hungry 'cause I've got Martha fucking Stewart in my kitchen." With that she turned on her heel and walked off down the hall, not seeming to care if I followed her or not. I stood rooted to the spot for a moment, gaping at my friend's retreating form before scurrying after her, stumbling over my own feet.

I entered the kitchen and the first thing I noticed was Rose leaning against the fridge with her arms crossed, staring daggers at her husband. The second thing I noticed was a petite woman with fashionably dishevelled, black hair standing beside Emmett, both of them with their backs to Rosalie and I.

"Trust me, Em, it'll taste so much better with the basil in it," the stranger's gentle voice said, and as Emmett turned his head to look at her, he must have seen me out of the corner of his eye.

"Bella, you're here!" he boomed, before crossing the distance between us and giving me a bone crushing bear hug.

The quiet giggle that could be heard throughout the kitchen brought Emmett back to his senses and he pulled away from me. He made his way back over beside the tiny elf of a woman and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Bella, this is my little sister, Alice; Alice, this is Bella."

Instead of turning my attention to my new acquaintance, I inclined my head towards Emmett and stared at him in utter bewilderment. _Little sister? _I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly. How was it possible for him to have a sibling that I didn't know about? He had never spoken of a sister, or a brother for that matter, so I had assumed he was an only child. It seemed strange to me that Rose had never mentioned her either. What was even stranger was the fact that this mysterious Alice hadn't been at Emmett and Rosalie's wedding, just over a year ago.

I have no idea how long I stood staring at the great lump of a man in front of me and it took Alice, with her out-stretched hand, to snap me out of it.

"Hi, Bella, it's really nice to meet you," she said pleasantly, with an infectious smile and bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. She was definitely a few years younger than me but I couldn't be sure just how many.

I mentally shook myself and reached out, taking her hand in my own and we shook. "Uh, yeah, thanks." _Smooth, Bella. Fantastic first impression. _"I mean, you too. Nice to meet you… too." _Good save._

She seemed to find my verbal diarrhoea amusing and her tinkling, bell-like laughter filled the room once more. As it died off, the silence in the kitchen soon became awkward and I took the opportunity to steal a glance at Rose. She still had her arms folded across her chest, but her gaze had now shifted to Alice. The penetrating stare of Rosalie Cullen was fixed on Emmett's sister, like she was trying to burn a hole through her skull using sheer willpower alone.

I didn't have a clue what was going on.

Emmett cleared his throat nervously, running his fingers through his dark curls and suddenly all eyes were on him.

"Well, this is nearly ready so if you all want to…" he said, trailing off and waving a large hand vaguely in the direction of the dining table. I suddenly realised why I had been invited over for dinner. Emmett needed and ally. Or, perhaps, a witness; just in case Rosalie finally snapped and killed him with a potato masher.

The blonde bombshell in question huffed like a petulant teenager, but did make her way to the dinner table, with Alice and I following suit. I couldn't remember the last time I had been in such an awkward situation. In an attempt to alleviate the tension, I uncharacteristically started a conversation with Alice, who sat directly opposite me.

"So, Alice, are you just visiting?" I inquired politely.

"Actually, I'm going to be staying here with Em for a little while until I find my feet. I've been volunteering overseas for the past eighteen months so I need somewhere to stay for a few weeks until I can find a job and a place to live," she informed me, flashing her pearly whites. Her eyes flickered towards Rose and her smile faltered. "It won't be for long," she finished, looking down and fiddling with her placemat. I turned my head towards the blonde woman who was seated beside me and caught her rolling her eyes. Rose then met my gaze for the first time since I had set foot inside her home and I couldn't stop myself from glaring at her. I'm not sure if I was annoyed because she had never told me about her phantom sister-in-law or if I was annoyed at the way she was treating her. Maybe it was a combination of both.

The rest of dinner passed by in a wave of small talk, basil and awkward silences. So far, I had learnt that Alice was twenty-three, she liked cats and she had studied Music at the University of Washington. I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with each passing moment and I had decided it was time for me to leave.

"Guys, as _lovely_ as this has been, I really need to go. I have a lot of work to do to if I'm going to make this deadline on Friday," I announced and moved to stand without waiting for any kind of a response.

"I'll walk you out," Emmett offered, placing his napkin on the table and standing as well.

"Alice, it was lovely to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you soon," I spoke to the pixie-like woman opposite me.

She looked at me with something akin to a sad smile and nodded her head sincerely. "You too, Bella. Have a good night."

I turned my attention to Rosalie, who quickly glanced up at me, looking slightly (and quite rightly) guilty.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Bella," she promised.

The only response she got from me was a nod and with that, I left the kitchen with Emmett hot on my heels. When we both reached the front door, he stretched forward and grabbed the handle, effectively stopping my exit.

"Bella, I'm sorry, but I couldn't do this on my own," he blurted out, apologetically. He brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head, nervously.

"Do _what_ on your own? What the fuck is going on, Emmett?" I had held back for over an hour; made polite small talk with a woman I had no idea even existed, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and now I wanted some answers.

"You need to ask Rose," was his reply.

I sighed. Something told me Emmett had been stuck in the middle of this (whatever _this_ was) for a long time.

"You're not even going to give me a clue?" I asked him, not really expecting an answer of any substance.

He smirked with a hopeful glint in his eye. "You need to talk to Rose. If anyone can help, it's you." Almost as an after thought, he raised an eyebrow at me in silent question.

He proceeded to push down on the door handle he was still holding and the cold night air hit me, sending a shiver down my spine. While his confidence in me was flattering, I was still at a loss as to what was going on and it wasn't in my nature to interfere in other people's problems. This was Rosalie, though…

I nodded at him. "Goodnight, Emmett," I said with a slight smile and a wink.

He beamed back at me. "'Night, Bells."

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><p>The next morning I woke up face-down on my work table, having obviously fallen asleep sometime after 4am. I groaned and straightened myself up, rubbing the back of my neck in a vain attempt to ease the stiffness. I glanced at the clock; 9:37am. <em>Shit. <em>After I had convinced myself I hadn't drooled on any of my drawings during my slumber, I made my way to the kitchen to make some coffee. Lunchtime tomorrow couldn't come quick enough in my mind. This commission job had kicked my ass and I don't know why. Still, I was getting good money for this particular one and I could afford to take a break once my money came through.

As I reached up into the cupboard to get my favourite coffee cup, I heard a knock at my front door. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. The only people who ever came to see me were Rose, Emmett and my mother. To the best of my knowledge, my two neighbours were at work and my mother was still in Jacksonville. I had decided in my head that it was some salesperson trying to sell me a knife that would cut through an iron skillet with one flick of the wrist. By the time I had reached the door I had my '_fuck off'_ face prepared. That all fell apart when I opened the door to reveal a tiny woman with spiky, black hair holding two disposable cups of… _is that coffee?_

"Alice?" I croaked out, as my eyebrows crawled halfway up my forehead in surprise. She giggled at the disconcerted look on my face before tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Hi, Bella! Can I come in?" She asked cheerfully, smiling up at me, looking quite endearing with her head tilted to the side like a curious kitten. I nodded my head and motioned for her to come in, directing her towards my living room.

She lifted one of the coffee cups she was carrying and held it out towards me when she had settled herself into my overstuffed armchair. "Here, this is for you."

I smiled at her thoughtfulness and sat down on the adjacent sofa. "You're an angel, Alice, thank you. I was just about to make some." She giggled again and I could have sworn I saw her blush ever so slightly.

"You're welcome," she uttered, in way of a reply. She broke eye contact and started to fiddle with her own cardboard cup. "Listen, Bella, I came here to apologise for last night," she stated without preamble. "I know you were really uncomfortable and you obviously had no idea who I was when you saw me. I take it they've never mentioned me?" She questioned, with that same sad smile I had seen last night.

"Um, no, not exactly." I felt terrible. This had nothing to do with me and I still felt terrible. I couldn't imagine what this minuscule woman could possibly have done to incur Rosalie's wrath.

"I'm sorry," she said, lifting her head and meeting my gaze. Her eyes looked slightly scared and they pleaded for understanding. My brow furrowed.

"Why are you apologising? If anyone needs to apologise, it's Rose."

"She has every right to be angry with me, Bella," Alice stated solemnly, hanging her head and fiddling with the hem of her jumper.

I stared at her and paused briefly before speaking again. "I can't bring myself to believe that." My words seemed to surprise her, judging by the look on her face. "Whatever it is you did, you regret it; you're ashamed of it. I can see it in your eyes. I love Rosalie like a sister, but she needs to grow up and start acting like the thirty year old she is." For some reason my statement made her smirk, devilishly.

"Thirty?" She asked, incredulously. "She told me she was twenty-six!" _Yeah, I'll bet she did._

I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud. "She lies about her age a lot," I informed her. "The only reason I know for sure she's thirty is because I stole her passport." Alice gave a hearty chuckle and I could see dimples revealing themselves on her flawless features.

After a moment, Alice tilted her head to the side and studied my face. "I don't get it. I don't understand how you two are such good friends."

"Why?" I questioned, genuinely curious.

"Well, Rosalie is so bitchy and vain and _stubborn…" _It didn't escape my attention the emphasis she put on the word, 'stubborn,' "…and you seem to be, well, the complete opposite," she finished, still trying to understand the relationship between me and her sister-in-law.

"I wouldn't say we were _complete_ opposites. And I think, together, we make some semblance of a normal human," I joked, but Alice didn't laugh.

"You seem pretty normal to me, Bella." She smiled in my direction and I suddenly started to feel a bit uneasy. It was as if she was looking through me, to my very soul, and it made me feel like I was naked in front of her. I don't know if she sensed my discomfort but she quickly stood and glided towards the door in one fluid motion.

"I should get going, I know you have work to do," she said, still clutching her coffee. I jumped to my feet as well, still feeling a bit out of sorts, and escorted her out.

"Hey, Alice!" I called out to her retreating form. She turned and looked at me expectantly. "If you ever need a break, you're more than welcome to come here."

She sent me a sweet and thankful smile. "I might just do that. See you later, Bella." With that, she practically danced across the street, back to Rose and Emmett's house.

It took me until eight o'clock that evening to get my portfolio completely sorted for the following morning. I hadn't heard from Rose like she promised but I was going to give it at least another 12 hours for her to swallow her pride enough to call me. Due to my lack of sleep last night, I decided to turn in early. After a double check of my work and a quick shower, I collapsed into my bed.

Sleep didn't come easily; I lay awake staring at the ceiling, thinking about Alice Cullen. I had only known her for a day and already I found myself caring more about her well-being than some people I had known my entire life. I had seen Rose behave this way towards people before but never this bad and never with family. Oh, yes. My best friend had a lot of explaining to do.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for your kind words of encouragement! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Let me know!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"Your move, Bella."

I stared down at the black and white board in front of me and scratched my chin. "Jake, remind me again why we're playing chess in the middle of a coffee shop?" I asked of my companion with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I found the board at home the other day and I want to play, and you're the only other person I know who knows how. Your move," came his matter-of-fact response.

I'd been friends with Jacob Black since the time we had both worked together in this very coffee shop, about five years ago. We had an odd sort of friendship. We didn't go to the movies together, we didn't go out to bars together and we didn't really know each other's friends or family. In fact, we had never met up outside of this establishment. Having said that, he was the only person I felt one-hundred percent comfortable around, one-hundred percent of the time. When one or other of us was feeling a bit shitty, we just made a phone call and seemed to gravitate towards each other without question.

I moved my Knight to g4 before lifting my coffee to my lips and taking a sip. He nodded his head slightly and studied the board for a moment before furrowing his brow in concentration. "So, how have you been, Bells? It's been a while," Jacob questioned, glancing at me fleetingly.

It really had been a while. Months actually. It might have been the longest stretch we had ever gone without seeing each other. It wasn't unusual for us to go for weeks at a time without any contact, but this time we had left it far too long. After the week I had just had, I felt like I really needed to see him.

"Fine, I guess. I'm having a minor problem with Rosalie but other than that…" I trailed off, noticing that he had moved his Bishop to b4.

"Rosalie? The blonde matchmaker with the big boobs?" He asked innocently.

I arched an eyebrow. "I never said she had big boobs."

He smirked and looked up at me from under his eyelashes. "In my head, she has big boobs." His confession made me laugh and I shook my head, staring at him incredulously. "How is the love life going by the way? Have you found your prince charming yet?" he inquired after I had calmed down again and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Don't even start with me, Jacob Black!" If possible, his smirk got even bigger.

"Sorry, Ms. Swan. So, what's the problem with Rosalie?" He questioned, getting back to the point of the conversation.

"She's keeping something from me," I announced, moving my Rook to h5.

He looked at me with a slightly puzzled look on his face. "So, go talk to her," he said, as if the idea had never entered my own mind.

"I would, but she's been ignoring me for nearly three days. All I know is that it's something to do with her sister-in-law," I explained, fiddling with a sugar packet.

"If it's something to do with her sister-in-law then why is she ignoring _you_?"

"I don't know! And it's annoying the hell out of me!" I replied, perhaps a little bit too loudly, losing all sense of decorum. "Sorry," I mumbled a moment later, blushing slightly.

Jacob temporarily abandoned the chess game and sat back in his chair, tilting his head to the side with a curious expression on his tanned face. "I think I'm missing something here. What happened exactly?"

And so, I began to tell him about my eventful dinner a couple of days ago; about how Rose had treated Alice, about Alice's unexpected visit the next day and my surprise at seeing her there. When I had finished, Jacob proceeded to fold his arms across his chest and search my face with his dark, piercing eyes. After a brief moment, he leant forward again and I swear I saw a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Just go and talk to Rose. From what you've told me, you're bound to find out sooner or later. It might as well be sooner," he told me, tucking a strand of his long, jet-black hair behind his ear before concentrating on the board game again. "I must say, I'm quite interested in this Alice person," he added with a coy smile. "I mean, she shows up out of the blue, causing all this drama, and turns my normally placid friend into a nervous wreck," he finished, sneaking a glance at me.

I looked at him with a furrowed brow and he pointedly focused his eyes on the sugar packets I had unconsciously started to tear open and pour on the table. I immediately stopped what I was doing and tucked my hands under the table.

"What are you talking about? I hardly know Alice and she certainly doesn't make me nervous," I uttered, a bit defensively.

"You sure about that?" He stared me straight in the eye before turning his attention back to the chess board, smirking victoriously while moving his Queen to f7. "Checkmate."

* * *

><p>"Rose!"<p>

Still no answer.

"Come on, open the door!" I bellowed again.

I had come home from my morning with Jake and spent most of the early afternoon trying to think of the best way to approach Rosalie. Usually when she got like this, I treated her like a tarantula; _don't annoy her and she won't annoy you_. Nine times out of ten she would get over herself within a day or two and suddenly start behaving normally again, as if nothing happened. This time, however, I feared there would need to be some kind of a confrontation. _Fuck_. I really wasn't good at that.

Nevertheless, here I was, outside her house and shouting up in the direction of her open bedroom window. I could see her shadow moving against the walls and could hear her randomly turning on and off various pieces of electrical equipment, in a vain attempt to block out my voice.

"For God's sake, Rosalie, I know you're up there; I can hear the hairdryer! I'm not leaving until you let me in, so hurry up!" _before the neighbours call the cops and report a crazy girl having a one way conversation with the sky_, I added silently in my head. Emmett and Alice must not have been at home. If they had been, surely one of them would have come out to investigate all the commotion.

Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of trying to get her attention, her face appeared at the window and an anxious look spread across her perfectly made-up features. We stared at each other for a moment before she finally relented and gave a curt nod, disappearing from sight. A few seconds passed before I heard the sound of her heels clicking down the hall, towards the front door. I saw the handle move and, finally, Rosalie was revealed to me and she looked… terrible.

She was paler than usual and looked like she hadn't had a decent night's sleep for days. My friend stood back and ushered me inside without saying a word, gesturing towards the living room. I made myself as comfortable as the situation would allow, on her two-seater couch.

"Do you want something to drink? I can get you-"

"No. I want to know what's going on and I want to know now," I replied in an even tone, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Rose sighed heavily and fell into the armchair opposite me. She ran a hand through her blonde tresses before looking over at me. "Don't judge me, Bella, please" she stated abruptly, in a pleading voice that I didn't hear very often. "Nobody was ever supposed to find out," she continued in a whisper, looking out the window. _Jesus, did she kill someone?_

A whole minute passed in silence and it was the longest minute of my life. Rosalie wasn't moving and I couldn't take it anymore. "Rose, please just tell me. I'm not going to hate you, I'm not going to disown you and I'm not-"

"I slept with Alice."

My mouth fell open. I think I would have been less shocked if she _had_ killed someone.

The blonde bombshell in front of me was still staring out the window, her face unreadable. "It was a mistake; a one time thing, and I didn't even know she was Emmett's sister when it happened."

I stared at the woman in front of me, not really knowing what to say. _What the fuck do you say to something like that? _"I… umm… when?" I managed to stutter out.

"Nearly two years ago. It was before Emmett and I got married." As she spoke, Rose turned her head from the window to meet my gaze. I don't know what kind of look was on my face but I bet it wasn't flattering. "When I first met Emmett, Alice had just started college in Washington. Obviously, she was living away from home and she very rarely came back here to visit her family. By the time Emmett and I got engaged, I still had never met her. Not long after, Emmett told me his sister had just graduated and that she was back in New York." My friend stopped here for a moment and started to fiddle with the corner of the magazine that was resting on the arm of her chair.

"Anyway," she continued. "One night, about six months before the wedding, Emmett and I got into a really big fight and I stormed out and ended up in a bar. I got really, _really_ drunk and that's when I met her. We started talking; that led to flirting and then… well, one thing led to another. The next morning, I was so ashamed of myself. All I could think about was how I had betrayed Emmett; and for what? One quick fuck with a sweet talking stranger. A _female_ stranger..."

Rosalie shook her head, with a look on her face that made it clear she was still ashamed of herself for what happened. "I left before she woke up, thinking I would never see her again and I could just forget it had ever happened. I made up with Emmett and I thought that was it." She finished with a shrug of her shoulders. I ran my fingers through my chestnut mane as I sat on Rose's pristine couch in complete and utter disbelief. I had to restrain myself from pinching my arm to check if I was dreaming. I returned my attention to her, waiting for the big 'But.'

"Two days later, we were both invited to a big Cullen family dinner at Emmett's parents' house, so I could meet this sister I had heard so much about. When I walked into that house and saw _her_…" Rosalie hung her head, obviously remembering the scene in her head. "God, Bella, I felt like my world was collapsing around me and Alice looked completely horrified. We ignored each other for most of the night but just as Emmett and I were about to leave, she pulled me aside and basically called me a bitch and a whore and how I wasn't good enough for her brother. She even threatened to break us up; made a pretty good attempt at it, too. By this stage, Emmett had realised we despised each other and thought the reason was because his little sister didn't approve of me."

_Oh God, Emmett. Rosalie had lied to him. And not just a little, white lie but a big, giant whale of a lie. How did he react when she… Shit, she did finally tell him, didn't she?_

"Alice refused to go to the wedding and jumped on a plane to Borneo, or some fuckin' place, to do volunteer work. I didn't see or hear anything else from her until three days ago; the same day you met her in my kitchen," she summed up, with a tone of finality that made me think she wasn't going to say anymore on the subject.

I stood slowly and walked over to the window, with my back to my best friend. I had known Rosalie since I was twenty-two years old when I had moved in across the street from her. I had known her when she was still Rosalie Hale and I was there when she met Emmett for the first time. I was there for all the highs and lows of their engagement and I couldn't believe she had kept this kind of secret. Looking back, I remember her occasional bouts of odd behaviour after they were betrothed, but she always passed it off as normal pre-wedding jitters; for both her and Emmett.

_Emmett_. I turned around to face Rose, preparing myself to ask a question I was sure I already knew the answer to.

"Emmett doesn't know, does he?" I asked plainly, in a voice that didn't sound like my own. She looked at me sadly and shook her head to confirm my suspicions, before holding her head in her hands. "He thinks it's just a mutual hatred that can be fixed if we spend some time together. That's why he invited her to stay with us," she mumbled into her hands.

_Oh, this is bad. This is so very, very bad._

"I know he spoke to you and asked you to help, Bella, and I'm sorry that you've been dragged into this," she added, almost as an after thought. Emmett _had_ asked for my help the other night at dinner and, idiot that I am, I had silently agreed that I would.

"What about Alice? Aren't you afraid she'll tell him?" I asked, curiously.

"No," she replied, with more confidence than I would have had in this situation. "If she was going to tell him, she would have done it by now. She would have done it before the wedding."

I furrowed my brow in thought_. _"Why _didn't _she tell him before the wedding? Surely, if she was trying to break you two up, that would have been all the ammunition she needed."

Rose shrugged. "Probably for the same reason I didn't. She didn't want to hurt him over a mistake; something that meant nothing to either of us." She had lowered her head again and had started playing with the hem of her shirt. I sighed and tilted my head to the side before making my over to sit on the arm of her chair.

"Shit, Rose," I breathed out. "Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?"

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at me. "It's not exactly the kind of thing that comes up in civilised conversation, Bella."

I smiled then, sensing an opportunity to lighten the mood. "Since when do we have civilised conversations?"

My attempts weren't completely in vain as she tried her best to force a small smile. My best friend then shifted herself so that she was leaning her head again me. "I'm already ashamed of myself, Bella, and I was afraid of what you'd think of me," she said, just above a whisper, and I heard her voice falter. I looked down and could see unshed tears in her greenish-blue eyes.

"Oh, Rose," I cooed, placing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her slightly closer. Her tears fell then and it took a few minutes before she pulled back and looked me straight in the eye.

"I love my husband more than anything in this world. He can never find out about this, Bella, it would kill him. Please, promise me you'll never tell him." Her eyes burned with fear and quiet desperation and I felt very uncomfortable. This was one gigantic, shit heap of a situation and I wanted nothing more than to stay the hell out of it. But it was too late for that…

"Please, Bella."

* * *

><p>The next morning saw me sitting in the driver's seat of my antique Chevy Pick-up truck, outside my house, trying (yet again) to start her up. "Son of a mother fuck," I groaned, before banging my head repeatedly against the steering wheel. A tapping noise at the passenger window startled me and I turned my head to see Emmett's beaming face smiling in at me. <em>Perfect<em>.

"Need some help, little lady?" he asked, already walking round and popping the hood. I took a deep breath and prayed I wouldn't say anything stupid as I exited the vehicle to stand beside him.

"Morning, Em. How's things?" I asked pleasantly.

He turned his head to look at me and he had and flashed a thankful smile. "Things are great, thanks to you."

_Huh?_

"I know you spoke to Rosie yesterday. I don't know what you said, but something's changed. The glaring has stopped for a start. I mean, they're not exactly talking. but the glaring, Bells! It's stopped! Do you have any idea how much of a step forward that is?" He sounded ecstatic and thought I was the reason behind this miraculous breakthrough. I realised then that my mouth was hanging open and I quickly shut it.

"Umm… wow, Em, that's…"

"All thanks to you," he finished for me. I swallowed hard. "I love them both, so much, and all I want is for them to get along. It's all I've ever wanted. Thank you Bella."

He pulled me into a tight embrace and after a few seconds, I managed to lift my arms so they were placed awkwardly around his waist. My heart was silently breaking for the giant goof-ball hugging me and I could feel tears prickling behind my eyes. As I successfully blinked them away, I glanced across the street at Rose and Emmett's house and saw a tiny woman with black, spiky hair watching us from the window. Alice raised one hand in a half-hearted wave which I returned, much the same way, while still holding onto her brother. The sadness on her face, I'm quite sure, mirrored my own and I'm certain we were thinking the same thing, albeit for very different reasons:

_How could I possibly keep this from him?_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A bit of Bella/Alice time in this one. Thanks for all the reviews, they really make my day!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Several days passed and there seemed to be a routine emerging. Everyday, Emmett and Rosalie went to work in the morning and came home in the evening, leaving Alice to job-hunt by herself during the day. On Wednesday, she knocked on my door around lunch time, to drop off some wrongly delivered mail and I (good Samaritan that I am) asked her if she would like to stay for lunch. No sense in both of us eating alone, now was there? Plus, I would gain some major Brownie points with Emmett, which I may need to call upon in the future if everything went up shit creek. _When everything went up shit creek. _I told Alice she was more than welcome to join me the next day as well and she agreed, wholeheartedly. After Thursday's lunch I simply asked, "same time tomorrow?" to which she replied, "of course!"

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how to act around Alice ever since Rose's revelation. Technically, she didn't really do anything wrong and I'm nearly certain Rose left out and/or exaggerated certain details to make Alice look more guilty than she actually was. On the other hand, Rosalie was my dearest friend and I just couldn't help wanting to fight her corner, no matter what the truth was. One thing was for sure, though. I wasn't going to get dragged into this any further than I already was. That is possibly the reason why I hadn't asked Alice for her version of events. Or perhaps I didn't ask her because it could potentially incriminate Rose even further.

Our luncheon conversations thus far had revolved mostly around her job-searching, the weather and mildly embarrassing high school stories. Today was going much the same way until there was a lull in the small talk and Alice drastically changed the direction of the conversation.

"It's my birthday on Sunday, you know."

I glanced up from my chicken salad and noticed that she wasn't looking at me; rather, pushing her lettuce around the plate with her head bowed.

"Yeah? You'll be, what, twenty-four?" I asked her. She looked up and seemed to brighten at my response, nodding her head with a lopsided smile.

"Mm, I'm starting to feel old," she told me with a tinkling giggle. I smirked in response.

"Think how poor Rose feels." It was meant in a light hearted way, but she stiffened and her face fell slightly and I immediately regretted even opening my mouth. Was this how my life was going to be now? Constantly watching everything I say and walking on eggshells?

As I raised a forkful of salad to my mouth, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Alice's birthday would be the perfect excuse for Emmett to organise something that would force her and Rosalie to spend as much time together as possible and 'get along.'

"You know," I began, "I'm sure Emmett will have some trick up his sleeve that will involve Rose and you having to talk to one another. I can talk to him if you want; try to make it as painless as possible?" When I had put forth my offer, Alice looked a bit sheepish and her eyes darted around the room.

"Umm, actually, he's already planned something and he asked me to invite you to come along," she confessed, toying with a rogue strand of her fashionably dishevelled hair. _Of course he did. _"And, to be honest," she continued pushing her lettuce around the plate again, "I'd very much like it if you came along, as well. Things are easier when you're there."

Our eyes locked and the sincerity reflecting in her blue orbs was startling. I had often heard people say that _the eyes are the window to the soul_, but I never understood what that meant until I met Alice Cullen. The emotions she could portray with a single glance were slightly unnerving. I hadn't decided yet if I found that to be a good thing or a bad thing.

After a moment I gave a small smile and nodded my head. "I'll come."

Her face split into a toothy grin and I couldn't help but grin back, stupidly. She had one of those infectious smiles that lit up a room and made everyone around her smile too. _Everyone but Rose._

"You guys are trying, right?" I blurted out, without preamble, watching as her face creased in confusion. "I've already told Rosalie that I'm only going to keep my mouth shut if you two actually try to get past this." It was an empty threat. There was no way in hell I was going to tell Emmett but it seemed to scare Rosalie enough to take me seriously. Alice tilted her head to the side and studied my face with a sad look on her own features.

"You're a good friend, Bella," she stated suddenly, not answering my question. _To who? _I thought to myself, reproachfully.

Silence descended upon my tiny kitchen as Alice and I both bowed our heads and continued to eat our lunch. Since we had broached new territory, conversation wise, I decided to ask a question that I had been wondering about for a while now.

"Hey, Alice, can I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask me anything," she replied in a cheery voice.

"Well, you know the way you and Rose… well, you know…" She arched an eyebrow as I turned a very characteristic shade of red. "Does that mean that you're… I mean, are you…"

Alice was smirking and it seemed like it was taking all of her self control not to dissolve into a fit of laughter. "Am I what, Bella?" She asked with a faux innocent look on her face.

"Never mind," I mumbled, looking down again. By this stage, my face was so hot I was just waiting for my hair to catch fire. She giggled before sobering her features slightly and pointing her fork at me.

"Would you ever ask Rosalie that question?" She seemed genuinely curious. I thought about it for a second and realised that, no, I wouldn't. Rosalie wasn't gay. Curious, evidently, but not gay. Alice, on the other hand, was a complete question mark when it came to… well, everything.

"No, I wouldn't," I answered, almost defiantly.

"Why not?"

"Because, she's married."

Alice's brow furrowed. "So?"

I opened my mouth to argue back but no words came out. I suppose she had a point. "Just forget it. I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry," I conceded.

Once again, we plunged into silence and I began shovelling chicken into my mouth while Alice played with the rim of her water glass. "Would it matter to you if I was?" she questioned and, yet again, curiosity was the only tone I could hear in her voice.

I stared at her, trying to gauge her mood but her face was unreadable. "I don't know. I mean, no! No, of course not. I just… I've never really…"

She smiled at me then. "Relax, Bella, I get it." _Really? because I don't._

We spent the rest of lunch discussing much safer topics. As Alice began to regale me with stories of her cheerleading days, I couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that she hadn't actually answered my question.

* * *

><p>An <em>aquarium<em>, Emmett, are you _kidding_ me!" Alice certainly didn't seem impressed with her birthday surprise, two days later.

"It'll be fun, Ali! We all came here last month and it was great, right guys?" Emmett turned round from the drivers seat to look into the back where Rose and I were both sitting with our arms crossed, staring daggers at him. On seeing our expressions, his face fell slightly. _Poor Emmett, he tries so hard_…

"Em," Alice whined, "I got all dressed up, for this?" she finished with a pout. And she really had got dressed up. She was wearing a black pencil skirt with a red, ruffled, short sleeved blouse and matching shoes. _I think more people will be looking at her than the fish._

"Well, we're going out for dinner after," Emmett promised with a hurt puppy expression, trying to placate his little sister.

"Really?" She squeaked while bouncing in the passenger seat, her demeanour changing instantly. I saw her reflection in the side-view mirror and couldn't help but laugh quietly. In my peripheral vision, I saw Rosalie roll her eyes but I wasn't sure if she was rolling her eyes at Alice's display or at me for laughing at it.

"Can we just go," Rose said in a bored voice while simultaneously opening the door. We all followed suit and soon we were wandering around various giant tanks which were home to some fairly alien looking creatures.

"God, what kind of fish is _that?_" Alice asked me, sounding mildly disgusted. I pressed my face to the glass and evaluated the life form.

"I think that's a plant, Alice."

"Oh," she giggled, while moving her own face closer to the tank and furrowing her brow. "Are you sure? Are those not eyes?" she continued, pointing towards the green blob. I took one look at the pure concentration on her face and burst out laughing. _This is definitely far more entertaining than the last time._

"Hey, Rosie, look!" Emmett's booming voice sounded, scaring the small child that was standing ten feet away from him. Alice and I followed his voice and as we approached, Rose was looking at me with a strange look on her face that soon turned into a devious smile. "Look at the French angelfish, babe, aren't they great? Apparently they mate for life and-"

"Honey, that's amazing," Rosalie interrupted, stroking her husband's arm before turning her attention to me. "Bella! I need to pee; do you need to pee?"

"Uh…"

"Fantastic! Let's go," she said far too cheerfully as she practically dragged me to the bathroom, causing me to stumble over my own clumsy feet.

"Jesus, Rose, what's the matter with you?" I demanded of the blonde, once we had reached the privacy of the restrooms. She had a maniacal look in her eye and she clapped her hands together, almost as a symbol of victory.

"I think Alice should move in with you!" she declared.

I stared at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's perfect! Think about it. We both hate living under the same roof and it's making things tense with Emmett. If she stays with _you_, the tension will be gone, plus, we'll still be able to play nice and Emmett will still be able to keep an eye on her 'cause she'll be just across the street!" Her smile was so wide she was nearly showing all of her teeth.

I stood rooted to the spot, gaping at my friend and it took me a few seconds to find my voice again. "What? No, Rose!" I replied completely stunned, in a voice that was at least an octave higher than normal. "Anyway, I have nowhere to put her. Where is she going to sleep? On top of the bathroom cabinet?" I asked, gesturing with my arms.

"Well, she's small enough," Rose mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down at the floor. I gave her a warning look and she unfolded her arms again.

"Come on, Bella, you're bound to have a pull-out bed or something and you two seem to get on really well and-"

"Rose, the answer is no!" I shouted, effectively silencing her. "You got yourself into this mess and now, you have to get yourself out of it. I'm not going to let myself get dragged any further into it," I finished, in a less harsh tone. She looked me straight in the eye before slumping her shoulders and exhaling loudly.

"You're right, Bella, I'm sorry. I'm a terrible friend. I've been so caught up in everything that I never realised the position I put you in." She ran her fingers through her long blonde hair and turned to brace herself against the sinks, facing the grimy mirror. All the anger I felt a moment ago had completely dissipated and I moved to stand behind her, placing my hand on her shoulder. Our eyes met in the mirror and the fluorescent lights made us both look overly pale; like two ghostly apparitions sent to warn of some impending danger.

"Can I fix this, Bella?" she whispered, her gaze never faltering.

"I don't know."

* * *

><p>"I'll have the lamb, please. No, the chicken. No! the lamb. Definitely the lamb," Emmett ordered, nodding his head to cement the decision.<p>

"Good choice, sir," the young waiter replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'll be back with your orders as soon as possible, folks." With that, _Seth_ loped off in the direction of the kitchen.

"Well, this is nice!" Emmett announced to the table, looking over at Alice and smiling. "A nice, friendly dinner," he finished, scanning the rest of the table. Alice herself seemed to be genuinely excited to be here, if the look on her face was anything to go by. Although, having said that, anything was better than the aquarium. Her attire was certainly more suited to a restaurant.

I thought I was doing quite well in my role as peacekeeper for the day, but Rose; she was being very uncharacteristically quiet. If someone asked her a question she was perfectly polite and answered with a smile. But something was wrong. Maybe our conversation earlier made the reality of the situation hit home and slap her in the face. Maybe she'd given up. Maybe she was just waiting for her life to come tumbling down around her ears. I hated seeing my best friend like this and I didn't know how to help...

"Excuse me, ladies, I need to use the little boy's room." With that, Emmett rose from his chair and disappeared from sight.

The silence at the table was deafening. I glanced back and forth between the two women who had found themselves in the most unprecedented of situations, neither one looking at the other. It was painful to watch and, chances are, it would stay that way unless something changed. I turned my attention to the blonde beside me and studied the bags under her eyes, one last time, before I made a decision and inclined my head towards Alice.

"Alice, I think you should move in with me."

Two heads whipped up, staring in my direction, both looking equally stunned. Rosalie slowly began to shake her head in protest, obviously thinking back to our conversation in the bathroom.

"Bella, you don't-" She began, but I moved my hand to her knee under the table, to reassure her.

"What do you say, Alice?" I continued, as if Rose hadn't spoken. "I mean, you'll be sleeping on a pull-out bed in my study but I think the change of scenery will do you good," I said in a cheery voice. Alice remained wide-eyed and stock still, before slowly shifting her gaze to meet with Rosalie's. The stared at each other for a brief moment and it almost looked like they were having a silent conversation.

"I can't ask you to do that, Bella," she replied, returning her attention to me.

"You're not. I'm offering." I stated, plainly.

She tilted her head to the side, still with a look of disbelief on her face and searched my eyes with her penetrating gaze. "You'd really be okay with a stranger moving into your home?" She questioned with a hint of surprise creeping into her words.

I smiled then. "You're not a stranger. You're Alice."

A lopsided grin spread across her face before she giggled and looked down at the table, fiddling with her cutlery. She bit her lip and looked up at me from under her lashes. "You're really sure?" she asked again.

My smile got bigger. "Is that a yes?"

Alice looked over to Rosalie again but before she could answer, Emmett returned from the bathroom and plopped himself into his seat. "So! What did I miss?"

The three of us eyed each other warily before I lifted an eyebrow at Alice, in silent question. She threw me a small smile and nodded her head.

"Well," I began, "we've decided that it would be a good idea if Alice lived with me until she finds her feet," I informed the curly haired man. "If that's alright with you, of course," I added quickly.

Emmett's eyes narrowed and he looked at each of us in turn, obviously trying to evaluate something. My heart rate increased ten-fold and I truly believed he had figured everything out, despite my logical mind knowing that that was impossible. I felt Rose stiffen beside me and her knee trembled slightly under my hand, which I still hadn't removed. His roving eyes finally came to a rest on me and before I had time to panic, his face split into a beaming, childlike grin. "This is perfect!" he boomed out, looking at his sister.

The collective relief between the three ladies at the table was palpable but Emmett didn't seem to notice. I gave Rosalie's knee a gentle, reassuring squeeze before removing my hand and lacing my fingers together on the table. "I won't have to worry about you when I'm out at work but I'll still see you all the time because you'll be across the street!" Emmett finished, sounding ecstatic. "Plus," he began, as an after thought. "We'll all be able to hang out, right Rosie?" He asked his wife, turning his full attention to her.

Rosalie reached out and took her husband's giant hand in her own elegant one and stroked her thumb across his knuckles. "Of course, baby," she replied, sounding nothing but sincere. Emmett couldn't hide his happiness and raised her hand to his lips and kissed it lovingly. By this stage Alice and I had averted our gaze, both feeling like we were intruding on a private moment.

"I'd like to make a toast," Emmett announced a moment later. He raised his glass and we all followed suit. "To my little sister. I hope you had an… interesting birthday" he said with a smirk, while she giggled. "To friendship and new beginnings," he continued before looking across the table at me. "And, to Bella," he stated softly, while I felt the blush creeping up my neck. "May she find everything she's looking for." He finished with a wink and a thankful smile.

It was quiet then, as we all brought our glasses to our lips. Slowly, we all relaxed back into small talk, led for the most part by Emmett. I stared around the table; at Alice who was focusing all her attention on her brother, laughing at his every joke, and at Rosalie who still clung to her husband's hand and was now stroking his forearm across the table. They were like two lionesses fighting over a piece of meat.

_Bella Swan, you schmuck. What have you got yourself into?_

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><p><strong>AN: I'm not sure when i'll be able to update again because i'm going into hospital... hopefully it won't be too long. I'll update when i can, i promise. In the mean time, you can cheer me up by reviewing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You're all really lovely people, you know that? :)**

**FAQ - Why is Rosalie so annoyed with Alice? She should be grateful that Alice didn't tell Emmett.**

**The simple answer is that, deep down, Rose _is_ grateful but her selfish and narcissistic nature means that she needs to blame someone else for everything that's happened. The more complicated answer is that Rose (as some of you have already guessed) wasn't entirely honest when she told Bella what happened. Don't forget, we haven't heard Alice's side of the story yet!**

**The next few chapters are going to focus more on the development of Bella and Alice's relationship (hooray!) and also Bella's past. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

_I can hear voices, but I don't know where they're coming from._

_I study my surroundings… Where am I? _

_A staircase materialises in front of me and my body forces my right foot to move to the bottom step. I gingerly begin to make my ascent on tip-toes as the old, worn wood creaks under my weight. My eyes dart around as I try to get my bearings. Suddenly, my foot sinks into a decaying stair and I can't move. I can hear my heart beating in my ears and I grab the hand rail, struggling to pull myself free. My legs feel like lead and I have to use my hands and elbows to scramble my way to the top. I can feel beads of sweat on my brow and I'm still not sure if I can stand up._

_I've reached a corridor. It's dark. The only light is from the cracks under and around a door, which is situated about five metres in front me. The ethereal glow emanating from behind the barricade sends a shiver down my spine and my mouth suddenly feels very dry. I haul myself to my feet again and I take four, shaky steps before feeling my knees buckle. My legs give way under me again._

_The voices are getting louder now as I clamber my way down the long, dark and dusty corridor; half walking and half scurrying on my hands and knees. A woman laughs. I know that laugh._

_I cross the threshold of the room. I drop to my knees and fall forward, my hands breaking my fall. I raise my head and see two people, a man with bronze coloured hair and a woman with long, chestnut hair, writhing naked on the floor in the throws of passion. She looks like… _

_It's me._

"_Edward," I choke out, stretching my hand towards the couple._

_He turns his head in my direction and smirks. The woman inclines her head towards me as well but she has changed. Now, the fiery passion in her eyes matches the fiery red colour of her hair…_

"_You brought this on yourself, Bella," Edward says in a breathless voice, before turning his full attention back to his female companion. With another thrust of his hips, she cries out in pleasure and claws at his back._

"_No!" I try to shout, but it comes out as a strangled whisper. "No!" I repeat, while my feet push wildly against the ground as I try to get away._

"_BELLA!" He growls out, but his voice is getting more distant. "Bella," I hear again. That's not Edward…_

"Bella, come on, wake up!"

My eyes snapped open and the first thing I saw was Alice's concerned face staring down at me and I felt her hand on my shoulder. My mind was still half in my dream and I couldn't do anything but stare back at her blankly for a few seconds.

"Wha… A-Alice?" I finally got out, my voice sounding hoarse. She seemed to relax ever so slightly at my response. Actually, she seemed almost relieved when I recognised her.

"Are you alright, Bella?" she questioned, making a valiant attempt to hide the panic from her voice. I sat up, closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. At the best of times, I wasn't a morning person and today I was certainly a bit more on edge than usual. This was the third consecutive morning I had woken up from a familiar, recurring dream that I hadn't had for well over a year. _I thought this had stopped._

"What are you doing in here?" I barked out. My voice sounded a lot harsher than I had intended and I cringed internally when I saw Alice's face fall. She straightened to her full height, removed her hand from my shoulder and hung her head. After a moment, she lifted her head again but didn't look at me. There was a slight crimson tinge across her cheeks which made me feel even worse.

"I'm sorry," she began in a small voice. "I came in to see if you were okay. I was walking past your room and you sounded…" she trailed off, before catching my eye again. "Are you alright?" She asked me yet again and her eyes seemed to be sparkling more than usual. _She isn't going to cry, is she? No, it's just the light…_

I reached out and touched her forearm in an attempt to reassure her. "I'm okay, Alice," I answered gently. Her eyes glanced fleetingly at my hand on her arm before she locked eyes with me again. "Thanks for checking on me," I finished sincerely.

The small grin she flashed at me actually made me feel better. She bit her bottom lip and hesitated for a few seconds before addressing me again. "What were you dreaming about?"

_Damn it to hell, Alice, why do you have to notice every little thing? _"I don't know. I-I can't remember." She seemed far from convinced by my answer but she didn't push it any further.

"Come on, get up. I'm making pancakes for breakfast," she commanded light heartedly, effectively smashing the slightly tense atmosphere. She threw me a toothy grin before skipping away. When she reached the door of my bedroom, she paused and turned her head back towards me, raising an eyebrow. I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"I'm coming, Alice! Just give me a minute," I laughed out. She giggled back and disappeared, making her way downstairs.

It had been nearly a two weeks since Alice moved in with me and to be honest, sometimes, it was easy to forget that she lived here at all. During the day, she was always out trying to find a job and in the evenings, she usually went across the street to see Emmett (and Rosalie). Sometimes I went too and sometimes I didn't. We had unconsciously got ourselves into a domestic routine as well - she cooked breakfast, I cooked dinner and we sorted ourselves for lunch. We took it in turns to wash the dishes and the same was true of cleaning the bathroom. She was neat, she wasn't obnoxiously loud and her happiness was contagious. I was very much used to living a solitary life but I had to admit - Alice truly was the world's greatest roommate.

I fell back down onto the bed and covered my face with my hands. Now that I was alone, I couldn't be distracted from my dream. I couldn't understand why I had started dreaming about Edward again. Nothing had changed; I wasn't feeling anymore pathetic than usual and the tiny sliver of self confidence I possessed hadn't got any worse recently. So, why was my sub-conscious torturing me?

"Hey, Bella!" Alice shouted from downstairs, jolting me from my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"We're still on for this afternoon, right?" she inquired.

I smiled to myself when I remembered what she was talking about. The promise I made to my tiny friend had momentarily slipped my mind. "Of course!" I yelled back. I was going to have to sweet talk Emmett into letting me borrow his car because my truck was just not practical for this exercise.

"Hurry up with those pancakes, Alice!"

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><p>I hadn't seen a lot of Rosalie recently; not in a one-on-one sense anyway. She seemed to be slightly more relaxed now that Alice had been tidied away into my house, but she still wasn't herself. She was quieter than normal and had developed a nervous habit of picking at her fingernails.<p>

"Emmett's not here and he took the car with him. Sorry, Bella," Rose informed me, handing me a glass of water I didn't ask for. "I'm glad you're here, though. You've saved me a phone call," she continued, manoeuvring herself to the couch.

I stiffened. Why did I have a horrible feeling she was going to ask me for another _favour_?

"My brother will be in town for a few days on business and we're going out for dinner. He was asking about you and said you were more than welcome to join us. You remember Jasper, right?" _Oh, thank God!_

Ah, Jasper. He was probably the only reason I managed to escape Rose and Emmett's wedding without a husband of my own. At the reception, my best friend was in full matchmaker mode and was introducing me to every male in the room, even if she didn't know them herself. Jasper had noticed this and proceeded to spend the rest of the evening with me, scaring away all my potential suitors. _I owe that man, big time. _As an added bonus, we got along pretty well together.

I relaxed my stiff pose at the mention of his name and sat down in Rose's armchair, setting my water on the coffee table. "Of course I remember him. How long is he is town for?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure, actually. He didn't say."

"Well, definitely count me in for dinner," I said with a smile which she returned. There was a brief, comfortable silence before something occurred to me. "Um, what about Alice?"

Her left eye twitched slightly at the mention of Alice's name but she recovered quickly and plastered a fairly convincing smile on her face. "If Alice wants to come along too, she is very welcome."

I couldn't help but smirk at her response. "Wow, Rose, you've really practiced that to perfection."

"As long as Em believes it, that's all that matters," she said quietly. I didn't respond and we sat in silence again, this time, not quite as comfortable. "How are things going? Living with Alice I mean," Rosalie asked me abruptly. She didn't look me in the eye when she spoke and had begun picking at her fingernails.

I waited for her to look up at me before I shrugged my shoulders. "Fine, I guess. Sometimes I forget she's even there. She's an easy house guest."

The blonde seemed to think about my answer for a moment and then nodded her head. "That's good. That's good, for you."

"What about you and Emmett?" I ventured.

"Better. Things don't feel as strained." _Well, this conversation does._

This interaction was a lot more awkward than it should have been, considering it was just Rose and I talking. Something was definitely off but I just couldn't bring myself to delve any deeper into it.

I stood slowly and smoothed out the non-existent creases on my jacket. "I should get going, Rose. Tell Emmett I said hello." Rosalie nodded and jumped to her feet as well. She led me to the front door but paused before she opened it. Her brow furrowed and she turned to me, looking as if something had just occurred to her.

"Wait. Why did you want to borrow Emmett's car?"

* * *

><p>So there we were, Alice and I, sitting in my dilapidated and sorry excuse for a vehicle in the middle of a deserted parking lot.<p>

"Now remember, _slowly_ ease off the clutch this time," I pleaded. I wasn't sure how much more my poor truck could take. Alice checked her mirrors and did as I said. We slowly began to move forward until there was a loud chugging sound and a jerk before the truck stopped and the engine cut out altogether.

We both sat perfectly still and stared out the windshield until Alice slowly turned her head to look at me. "Sorry, Bella," she apologised in a small voice, sounding like a child who had been caught doing something bad. I scratched the back of my neck and sighed.

"Um, actually, I think this time it was the truck's fault. I told you it was a bad idea to learn in this thing," I said, repeating my sentiments from earlier in the day. I was almost embarrassed to be associated with the heap of junk.

"Well, the way I see it," she began, her hands still at 10 and 2 o'clock on the steering wheel, "if I can drive this beast then a normal car will be a piece of cake."

"Hey!" I protested, good naturedly. "Don't bad mouth the truck, small fry. It's older than you and me put together."

Her light, tinkling laughter filled the small space and she leaned over and patted my thigh with her small hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get good money if you sell it for scrap metal." I narrowed my eyes at her, playfully and shook my head. "Do you think you'll be able to drive her home?" she finished, removing her hand from my leg.

"I hope so," I replied morosely.

After ten minutes, I finally got the truck started again and we both decided it was best to head home and try again another day, when we could use Emmett's car. I still couldn't believe that Alice had never learnt how to drive.

"Why did you never learn how to drive?" I asked her, verbalising my thoughts, genuinely interested.

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I always thought my legs were too short to reach the pedals," she said with a straight face, giving me a sideways glance. The look on my face must have betrayed my combined confusion and amusement because she proceeded to dissolve into a fit of giggles. "Your face is priceless, Bella!" she said when she had calmed herself again.

Alice was like no-one I had ever met before. Her countenance could change with the flick of a switch but no matter what mood she was in, she always seemed to exude happiness and light. I found it very refreshing and calming to simply be in her presence.

"If I asked you who Edward was, would you tell me?" She blurted out, interrupting my musings. _Maybe she's not quite as calming as I thought…_

I gripped the steering wheel tighter and my jaw clenched, involuntarily. I kept my eyes on the road, trying to figure out how the hell she had found out about Edward. "How do you-"

"You called out the name 'Edward' this morning, just before I woke you," she jumped in, obviously anticipating my question.

"Oh," was my highly intelligent response.

A few moments of silence followed. It wasn't particularly uncomfortable but someone really needed to say something.

"I shouldn't have asked you that, Bella, I'm sorry," Alice said, breaking the silence and shaking her head at her own actions. "It's just… you worried me this morning. You sounded scared," she finished, so quietly that I had to strain my ears to hear her.

Her words made my eyes leave the road and I glanced at her briefly. She really was worried about me; it was written all over her face. The only people that I felt truly cared for me were Rosalie, Emmett and Jacob, but they never did it in such an obvious way. Alice's direct approach when it came to expressing concern or affection was new to me.

"You know, if you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here," the tiny woman said in earnest. She reached across and placed her hand on my shoulder, much like she had that morning. "You can trust me, Bella."

_You can't tell her a thing, Isabella, she'll just hurt you like everyone else, _my mind screamed at me. I mentally shook my thoughts away.

"Thank you," I managed to croak out, my eyes glued to the road. I felt her remove her hand and we stayed in silence for the remaining four and a half minutes it took us to get home.

We both did our own thing for the rest of the day which, for me, consisted of cleaning the kitchen and finishing the book I had been reading. Alice had made plans to have dinner at Rose and Emmett's but changed her mind at the last minute, her excuse being that she was too tired. I didn't really feel like cooking so we ended up ordering a pizza at around 8 o'clock that night.

I flicked through the channels as we ate and we both finally settled on a cheesy Jennifer Aniston movie. It had Paul Rudd in it as well and it reminded me of another Jennifer Aniston movie that had the guy from _Zoolander_ in it. _What is his name? He was in _Dodgeball_ as well… shit, what is his name!_

"Hey, Alice, who's the guy from…"

I immediately stopped talking when I turned my head and saw Alice fast asleep beside me. _She really must have been tired_. She was sitting in such a way that her face was towards me and one leg was tucked beneath her. I rested my head on the back cushion, facing towards her, and let myself study her features. My eyes trailed across the planes of her face, noticing the rounded cheeks, the button nose and the small (but oddly full) lips. Her skin was flawless and it looked so soft. It was undeniable - Alice Cullen was an attractive young woman.

She was an open book, yet, a complete mystery at the same time. She lived life with child-like enthusiasm but possessed maturity beyond that of a person twice her age.

A rogue tendril of black hair fell in front of her closed eyes and I instinctively reached out to tuck it behind her ear. She gave a dreamy sigh when my hand was an inch from her face and it was enough to snap me back to reality. I pulled away and stared at her. _I should wake her_. I placed my hand on her knee and whispered her name. No luck.

"Alice, come on, wake up," I repeated in a louder voice, shaking her leg at the same time.

"Mmm," came her groggy response. She scrunched up her face and opened one eye. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at the endearing display.

"I think it's time for bed, sleepy head."

"Mmm," she replied again, but proceeded to move so she was now sitting normally, rubbing her tired eyes. After a moment she looked at me and smiled. "Goodnight, Bella."

She stood and walked out the door with all the poise and elegance of a dancer, despite her obvious exhausted state. I waited until I heard her feet on the stairs before I finally whispered, "Goodnight, Alice," into the silent living room.

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><p>"<em>You brought this on yourself, Bella," Edward says in a breathless voice, before turning his full attention back to his female companion. With another thrust of his hips, she cries out in pleasure and claws at his back.<em>

"_No!" I try to shout, but it comes out as a strangled whisper. "No!" I repeat, while my feet push wildly against the ground as I try to get away._

_I can hear laughter all around me; evil, mocking laughter. I scramble my way out of the room but I can still see them. I can still hear them. I make it to my feet and try to run down the corridor, groping frantically at the walls, searching for support. I feel myself falling again. I'm falling hard._

_Before I hit the floor, two strong arms catch me, absorbing the impact. It's a person; a woman. I can feel her essence all around me. "I've got you," she tells me. We both sink through the remaining distance to the floor._

_I clutch desperately at her arms, her clothing, anything, and begin sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder. She smells so familiar. Vanilla; I can smell vanilla. Rogue tendrils of black hair tickle my cheek. She pulls me tighter against her small frame and whispers in my ear, "I'm not going to hurt you." My grip on her tightens as well; so much so, my hands are shaking. "I'm not going to hurt you," she repeats._

_Her words make me sob harder. I struggle to catch my breath and manage to verbalise my plea. "Please, don't leave me here."_

I jerked awake, tangled in my bed sheets. It was still dark outside and a glance at my alarm clock told me it was 3:52am. My breathing was laboured and I rolled over onto my back, trying to calm down. I lay there staring at the ceiling, not really thinking of anything. My limbs were heavy with fatigue and after I had regulated my breathing, I felt strangely at peace. I rolled back onto my side, grabbed one of my pillows and hugged it to my chest. I buried my face in the soft comfort it provided and soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I WILL get around to replying to all the reviews and PMs, i swear...**

**This is an important chapter and although i'm fairly happy with the way it turned out, i'm more interested in what you guys think of it :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"You got any fours?"

I quickly scanned the cards that were fanned out in my hand. "Nope. Go fish."

Jacob reached out and lifted a card from the deck that sat upon the table of the coffee shop, before scratching his stubbly chin and taking a bite of his blueberry muffin. "Tell me again, how long has Alice been living with you?" He asked me, looking for clarification.

"About three weeks," I replied, taking a sip of coffee. "Why?"

My friend shook his head slightly. "Just curious." It was pretty obvious that he was more than _just curious. _Jake never asked a question just for the sake of asking. After a moment, I was proved right when he continued. "She seems to have had a big impact on your life. You've done nothing but talk about her since you got here." He was studying his cards as he spoke but stole a glance at me to see my reaction.

I lifted a card from the deck after discovering he had no fives and furrowed my brow in thought. "I haven't been talking about Alice the _whole_ time. I told you about that giant bee that flew into my kitchen the other day."

Jacob smirked at me. "Yeah, and how _Alice_ had to open the window and shoo it out."

His words embarrassed me and I could feel the heat rising in my face. "It was a really big bee," I mumbled, defensively, as if that explained everything.

He chuckled. "I believe you, Bells. Sevens?"

"Huh?"

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You got any sevens?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah, here," I answered, handing him over two cards.

I guess I _had_ been talking about Alice a lot today but, like Jake said, she was a big part of my life right now. In fact, I didn't really have much of a life at all until she pranced her way into it. It's not like we spent every waking moment together or anything; far from it. But I suppose when two people live together, they can't help but be involved in each others lives to a certain extent - like a camaraderie of sorts.

I brought my attention back to Jacob and saw him looking at me with a strange expression on his face. I hated that expression. It meant he was trying to figure something out; figure _me_ out. "I know that face, Ms. Swan. That's your thinking face. What are you thinking about?" He inquired, somewhat light-heartedly, but I knew he wouldn't accept anything but an honest answer from me. I sighed.

"If I said, 'Alice,' would you make fun of me?" I replied without looking at him, toying with the rim of my coffee cup.

"No, I wouldn't," he answered seriously. He placed his cards face down on the table and stared at me intently, while munching on another piece of his muffin. "What do you two talk about?" He asked randomly, after a moment or two.

I shrugged. "All kinds of things. What's on T.V. later, what's for dinner, what kind of job Alice could get…"

"What about personal things?" Jacob asked again, interrupting my list. _What is he getting at? _I paused for a second, trying to think what exactly constituted, 'personal things.'

"Well, Edward has been brought up in conversation once or twice," I confessed. "Nothing in depth, though." I watched his eyes flicker at the mention of my ex-boyfriend's name but he shook it off and nodded his head in understanding. "Why are you so interested in me and Alice?" I prodded.

Jake grinned like a fool at my question. "She just seems like a very…" he trailed off briefly, trying to find the right word. "…_Interesting_ person. That's all."

I smiled at his choice of adjective. "She certainly is interesting."

We both then gave our full attention back to the card game. Apparently, Jacob was very keen for this to become our new 'thing' - playing a different game each time we got together. I wasn't sure how long I was going to humour him by doing it but, I had to admit, it was kind of fun.

"Wait," Jacob announced into the peaceful silence. "You said Alice is still looking for a job?" He inquired. After I nodded my head in the affirmative, he continued. "Why don't you ask Peter if she can work here? He was always very fond of you when you worked for him, maybe he'd give her a shot as a favour to you," he finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Jake, that's brilliant!" I praised, beaming at my long-haired friend. _Why didn't I think of that?_

"Plus, it means I can get a look at this famous Alice and see what all the fuss is about," he said with a sly smile and a raised eyebrow. My own eyebrows crawled half way up my forehead in surprise.

"You want to meet her?" I asked in a high, incredulous voice. "But…" I started, my eyes darting around. "But, we don't do that," I finished, gesturing wildly between our two bodies with my hand.

"Maybe it's about time we started."

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><p>When I arrived back home, I tossed my keys on the kitchen table and fell into a waiting chair. I had lifted my mail on the way in and began sorting through it. <em>Bill, bill, junk, bill. Excellent.<em> I needed to talk to Demetri. I had only got half my pay cheque for my last illustration job and dipping into my savings was always something I avoided unless absolutely necessary. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed before tidying everything onto the counter. _I'll worry about this later._

"Alice!" I shouted. "Are you here?"

Receiving no response, I assumed she was still out. After making my way upstairs, I decided to liberate the rest of my drawings from the study while Alice wasn't here. When I asked her to live with me, I hadn't really thought through the logistics of it. The only place she could sleep was the study, which also happened to be the place I did all my work. It was like my sanctuary. _I suppose the kitchen table will have to do until she moves out._

I reached out my hand and turned the door knob, not bothering to knock, only to come face to face with Alice, clad in nothing but a pair of jeans and a red lacy bra.

"Alice!" I exclaimed, covering my eyes like a child. "S-Sorry! I thought you were… Shit, I'm sorry," I stuttered out, rooted to the spot with my hands still over my eyes. Impeding my vision did nothing to dislodge the image from my mind, though.

I heard Alice giggle, followed by the rustling of fabric, signalling (hopefully) that she was putting a shirt on. "You can look now, Bella, I'm all covered up."

I peeked between my fingers, just to make sure, before removing my hands from my face altogether. I was greeted by a smirking pixie-like woman and her expression only served to make my already flushed face ever redder. "Sorry," I mumbled, by way of another apology, looking at the floor.

"It's no big deal, Bella," she replied in a quiet voice that made me look up at her again. I saw the slightest hint of crimson across her own cheeks but she hid it well. "I have to ask, though: is there a reason why you barged in without knocking?" She questioned, her smirk returning.

"Uh…" _Why did I come in here again? Oh, right! _"Yeah, I came in to get-" I cut myself off when I looked over towards my desk and saw that Alice had displayed some of my practice sketches against the wall. They had been tidied away, temporarily, into a drawer and they were part of what I had come in here to take away.

I was silent for a moment and that prompted her to follow my gaze. "Is something wrong?" She asked, sounding a bit worried. "I can take them down if you want. I found them when I was putting my clothes into one of the drawers and-"

I raised my left hand and it was enough to stop her rambling. "You don't have to take them down, Alice. I'm just not used to having fans of my work," I said with a chuckle.

"You're kidding, right? These are amazing, Bella," she stressed, gesturing towards the table.

I shook my head and walked over to my desk. I gently took one of the drawings and examined it, leaning against the piece of furniture. "They're really not," I began explaining. "There are so many great, technical artists out there, but I'm not one of them. I got to where I am because of my style. My work is very recognisable; It makes me stand out from other illustrators. That's the only reason I get as much work as I do."

I didn't mean it to sound self-deprecating and I certainly wasn't fishing for compliments; I was simply stating a fact. I was still staring at my sketch of a skull with a rose beside it, and so, didn't realise Alice had moved until she appeared just behind me, standing at my shoulder. "I don't know a lot about art, but I know what I like," she said just above a whisper, close to my ear. I could feel her breath on my neck and I could smell that familiar vanilla scent that had been lingering in my house since she moved in. I turned my head enough to make eye contact and stared into those sparkling blue orbs that were almost hypnotic. "And I like this a lot," she finished, her eyes lingering on me.

Her words sent a shiver down my spine and I swallowed hard. _This doesn't feel normal_. I tore my gaze from her and slowly put the drawing back where it had been before. Alice then moved to sit on the edge of the pull-out bed and began playing with a loose threat, staring at the opposite wall. The atmosphere had suddenly become very uncomfortable and I hated it. _Say something, Isabella; anything… Peter! Tell her about Peter!_

"Oh! Alice, I almost forgot. I think I may have got you a job." I told her cheerfully. Alice's head whipped around and she looked at me in complete surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a voice slightly higher than normal.

"I used to work at a little coffee place not far from here and I had a word with the manager today. If you're interested, he said he'd like to meet you." I relayed the agreement I made with Peter earlier and by the time I had finished, Alice's mouth was hanging open.

"You did that, for me?" She questioned, as if it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard.

"Well, yeah. I know how hard it is when you are trying to make a new life for yourself. I know it's not much but it's a start and-" My sentence was cut off when her tiny body collided with my own. Alice wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder. It took me a second to process what had happened but it didn't take long for my own arms to find their way around Alice's waist.

"Thank you," I heard (and felt) her mumble into my shoulder.

"You're welcome," I responded, awkwardly. I pulled back and proceeded to put one hand in my pocket while the other scratched the back of my neck.

_I guess I'll be leaving my drawings then…_

"I have to start getting ready for later," I said after making my way across the room, towards the door. "You haven't forgotten, have you? Dinner with Jasper?" I finished.

"Of course not. I was about to get in the shower when you barged in here," Alice informed me, with a smile.

_Here comes the Bella Swan red face, right on schedule. _"Yeah, again, I'm really-"

"If you say you're sorry one more time, I'm going to come over there and bite you!" came Alice's playfully stern reply. That, coupled with the seriousness of her face and the tiny hands on her hips, made me burst out laughing.

"Hurry up in the shower, munchkin!" I called out as I walked out the door, bound for my own bedroom. I heard a distant giggle as I entered my boudoir and I proceeded to shut the door behind me and lean against it. I took a deep breath and couldn't help but wonder why my heart was racing like a freight train.

* * *

><p>"How well do you know this Jasper guy?" Alice leaned to the side and whispered to me as we both sat in the back seat of Emmett's car, on route to the restaurant. The burly driver was whistling to himself and his blonde bombshell of a wife was sitting in the passenger seat, staring out the window. <em>Ah, the joys of carpooling. <em>

I inclined my head towards my companion and replied in an equally quiet voice. "Not that well. Just from the wedding, really. We got along pretty well though, he's a nice guy." Alice nodded her head at my answer and seemed to be thinking about something. She bit her bottom lip and tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear.

"Is he married?" She inquired again, not looking at me. I thought it was an odd sort of question to ask, considering she had never met the man. Nevertheless, I shook my thoughts away and didn't let my curiosity show.

"No, he's not married. Why? Are you interested?" I teased, nudging her shoulder. Alice snorted and gave me a lopsided smile.

"Hardly," she murmured.

As our little conversation ended, I happened to glance into the rear-view mirror in the front and saw Rosalie's reflection glaring back at me. She had obviously watched my interaction with Alice and was not happy about it. My eyebrows knit together in confusion as I tried to figure out what was wrong with her. No sooner had the eye contact been made, it was broken again due to Rose turning her head to look out the window once more.

"Oh, Bella, have you taken my sister out in a road worthy vehicle yet?" Emmett questioned in a loud voice that startled me.

"Was that subtle insult directed at my truck, Em?" I replied with a raised eyebrow, tearing my attention away from the blonde. His only response was a boyish chortle. "To answer your question, no, we haven't been out again," I finished.

"I still think you're brave taking Alice out driving, you know," Emmett began, in a matter of fact tone. "Personally, I think I'd feel safer in a car with Stevie Wonder."

"Hey!" Alice squeaked from beside me, leaning forward and hitting her brother on the shoulder while he gave a hearty laugh. As they bantered back and forth, I took the opportunity to lean forward and discreetly speak to Rosalie.

"Hey, is everything alright?" I asked gently.

"Why wouldn't it be?" she replied curtly, offering nothing more. _Okay then_.

Within fifteen minutes we were all seated in the moderately priced restaurant, waiting for Jasper to arrive. Apparently, he was staying at a hotel in the city, not too far from here and he was here for a 10 day long visit. My memory of Jasper Hale was that he was slim, had shaggy blonde hair, darker than Rose's, and he was about three inches shorter than Emmett. When he walked through the door of the restaurant and was ushered to our table, I recognised him immediately. We all stood and Rose embraced her brother, mumbling something to the effect of, "took you long enough."

"Bella! It's so good to see you again!" Jasper greeted emphatically, wrapping me in a hug. He pulled back and brought my left hand towards him, inspecting my ring finger. "Still no husband, I see," he observed with a smirk. "Rose, I thought you said you'd have her married by Christmas?" He jested, turning his attention back to his older sister.

Rose offered him a tight-lipped smile before her eyes flickered over to me, fleetingly. "Yes, well, Bella has made it clear that she doesn't want my help so..." my best friend said, trailing off at the end. _Is she pissed at me? _Rosalie's gaze wandered over to Alice briefly before taking her seat again. Jasper's face fell slightly and he raised a questioning eyebrow at me. I gave him a subtle shrug of my shoulders before gesturing towards the petite woman beside me.

"Jasper, this is Emmett's sister, Alice."

A polite smile appeared on both their faces and Jasper stretched out his hand. "Alice, it's lovely to meet you. I've heard absolutely nothing about you," he stated, good naturedly.

"Likewise," she responded, shaking his hand, without missing a beat.

The evening moved along pleasantly enough, with all of us entering into playful conversation. Jasper regaled us with stories of his latest vacation and Emmett took great pleasure in reminding everybody of the time I walked into a tree in the park. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone, except Rose. I really was starting to get concerned that something was wrong. True, she had been acting a bit strange ever since Alice showed up a few weeks ago, but her odd behaviour had gradually become more noticeable. My friend had, so far, been able to hide from her husband but tonight, even he noticed.

"Babe, are you alright? You look pale," Emmett whispered discreetly to the blonde beside him. Rosalie placed her hand on his arm in a placatory gesture and put a small smile on her face.

"I'm fine, honey. I'm just… I'm feeling a little unwell today, that's all," she said, quite obviously lying; not that Emmett noticed. She proceeded to run her fingers across her forehead, dramatically. _And the Oscar goes to…_

The curly haired man's face creased in concern. "Why didn't you say anything? Do you need to go home?" He asked putting his hand on top of his wife's, which was still on his arm. Everyone was now looking at Rose expectantly, including Alice, whose features had contorted into a scowl. The small, raven-haired woman looked away from Rosalie quickly and gave the tiniest shake of her head, expressing her obvious disbelief and... disgust? My eyes found Jasper's and he gave me a, what-the-fuck-is-going-on, kind of look. _Right there with ya buddy._

"I think, maybe, I should go home," the blonde began. "Would you mind, Em?"

"No, of course not. But it means Bella and Ali will have to leave as well," Rose's husband replied, glancing over at us both.

"Fine with me. Bella?" Alice answered, far too quickly, turning her head to look at me. Her voice was curt and very unlike her normal, gentle one. I stared at Alice with my mouth slightly open, not able to form words.

"Actually," Jasper butted in, "I was hoping to have a drink or two with Bella. Catch up, you know?" He announced, flashing a toothy grin at Alice, before raising an eyebrow at me. Something told me I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Yeah, sure. You guys go on," I managed to croak out, informing everyone of my decision. Alice's eyes darted between Jasper and I for a moment before I saw her shoulders slump infinitesimally. She nodded her head and looked Jasper straight in the eye.

"Just… make sure she gets home safe, okay?" Alice asked of him in a quiet voice. He tilted his head to the side and studied her for a moment before smiling softly, to himself more than anyone else.

"I will, of course." He promised sincerely.

Emmett reached into his wallet and pulled out a wad of cash and left it on the table as Rosalie and Alice both rose from their seats. My eyes were fixed on the blonde woman standing before me. "Are you sure everything's alright, Rose?" I questioned, not asking after her health.

She met my gaze and I saw her swallow hard before she answered me. "It'll be fine, Bella. Thank you. I'll see you soon," she promised.

With that, the three of them said their goodbyes and left the restaurant, leaving Jasper and I alone. We settled the bill and made our way over to the bar, perching ourselves on two barstools.

"Alright, Bella, what's going on with Rose? And don't say you don't know 'cause I _know_ you do," he demanded, as the bar tender placed two beers in front of us. _What am I supposed to tell him? If I try and lie he'll see right through me but I can't exactly tell him the truth either.._. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. I could feel a headache coming on.

"The problem is Alice. They don't get on well," I stated simplistically, tucking my chestnut hair behind my ear.

"Well, no shit!" Jasper replied, sarcastically. "They could barely look at each other, never mind have a conversation. What's the story?" He asked, taking a sip from his bottle and keeping his eyes on me. I could feel my palms getting sweaty and I rubbed them on my trousers as subtly as possible before shrugging my shoulders.

"Some people just don't get along," I said confidently, trying to be as vague as possible.

"There must be a reason, though," he wondered out loud. "I've never seen Rose act like that," he finished, running his hand through his sandy coloured locks.

"Neither have I," I murmured back to him. "Believe me, Jasper, you're as much in the dark as me on this one." _Please, don't ask anymore questions, please, please…_

He studied my face for a moment before nodding his acceptance of my story. "Maybe I should talk to her and try to find out what's wrong." Jasper sounded genuinely worried for his sister's well being and it was touching. However, a small part of me wished he wouldn't care quite so much. There were already enough people caught up in this whole sordid affair, I didn't need another one to worry about.

"You can try, but I don't think she'll tell you anything. No offence," I told him, trying to steer him away from the idea. He smirked at my words but didn't respond. We sat in silence for a moment before Jasper moved the focus of the conversation from Rose to me.

"Speaking of Alice, what's the deal with you two?" He questioned, nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face and he picked up a beer mat and began toying with it. "She really likes you. A lot."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at his words. "Well, I like her too. It's nice to have a bit of company at home," I confided, taking a sip of my beer. He didn't reply, causing me to turn my head slightly to see his face. Jasper's lips were forming a devilish smirk; the same smirk his older sister used all too often.

"You _actually_ have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" He asked incredulously, his smirk getting even bigger. My brow furrowed and I was starting to feel a bit awkward, thinking that Jasper was having a laugh at my expense.

"Should I?" I barked out, defensively.

"Oh my God, Bella, you're a moron! No wonder you're always single!" The sandy haired man guffawed. "Alice _likes_ you! And I'm not talking about in a, hey-let's-braid-each-other's-hair, kind of way. How could you _possibly_ not have realised?" He finished, looking completely astonished.

I stared at Jasper, his words not registering. _Alice likes me. Alice _likes_ me. _And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. _Holy fucking shit, Alice _likes_ me! _Everything suddenly made sense. The way she always found excuses to touch my arm or my thigh or the way she put her hand on my back when she stretched up to get a plate from the kitchen cabinet. Even today, when she told me she liked my drawings, she had practically pressed herself against me. And Jasper! Alice had asked me how well I knew him and if he was married… the look on her face when I said I was staying out with him… she was jealous! _How did I not see this? Jasper's right. I really am__ a moron._

My mouth was hanging open and my eyes were the size of saucers. I was now staring at the wall behind Jasper, in a daze, not really seeing it at all. It took Jasper snapping his fingers in front of my eyes to bring me out of it. "Earth to Bella. Are you okay?" He asked me with raised eyebrows.

"What should I do?" I blurted out, without preamble. The look on my face must have fully betrayed my emotions because suddenly, Jasper didn't find the situation quite so funny. He looked at me curiously, as if trying to gauge my mood.

"Well that depends, really, doesn't it?" He said, slowly and deliberately, looking at me intently with his greenish-blue eyes.

"On what, exactly?" I demanded, desperate for him to give me the solution.

"On whether or not you like Alice the same way she likes you." His face was serious, all signs of humour now gone. "Do you?" He finished gently.

"I'm not gay, Jasper," I said firmly, shaking my head to strengthen my statement.

"That's not what I asked you."

* * *

><p>It was after eleven o'clock by the time I got home and all I wanted to do was take a long, hot shower and try to cleanse myself of the night I had just been a party to. Jasper's advice was to just keep going like nothing was different and see what happens. <em>Easier said than done<em>. How was I supposed to act normally around Alice when I knew she had those kinds of feelings for me?

I stood outside my door, in the dark, trying to fish my keys out of my purse. _I should really get the light out here fixed. _After a moment or two of fruitless fumbling, I found them and opened the door as quietly as I could, not knowing if Alice would be sleeping or not. Once inside, I closed it behind me, equally quietly, and the first thing I heard was Alice's raised voice coming from the kitchen. _Is she talking to herself?_

I started down the hall to investigate but stopped in my tracks when I heard a second, equally irate voice. It sounded like… _Is that Rosalie? _I slowly inched past the living room and closer to the kitchen on my tip-toes in an attempt to confirm my suspicions. The door was slightly ajar and I peered in, seeing a familiar mane of blonde hair. Whatever they had been talking about seemed to have come to an end and Rosalie was standing with her back to me, bracing herself against the counter. I couldn't see Alice.

_What is Rose doing here?_

I don't think my house had ever been as quiet as it was in that moment. _Should I let them know I'm here? _As soon as that thought entered my mind, Rosalie shattered the silence by slamming her hand down onto the counter top.

"Damn it, Alice, say something!" She yelled, whirling around to look (presumably) at Alice.

Rose's quick and sudden movement caused me to instinctively jump away and I felt my back collide with the wall adjacent to kitchen door. My heart was hammering in my chest and I placed my hand over my mouth, terrified that my heavy breathing would alert them to my presence. I couldn't move. From my new position, I could no longer see into the room and I could do nothing but wait for Alice to speak.

"What am I supposed to say, Rosalie?" Alice finally spoke, after what felt like a lifetime. "I don't understand why you're here. Why tonight?" She finished, sounding exasperated.

"Because I can't take this anymore!" Rose shot back, almost immediately. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to see you nearly everyday?"

"Hard for _you_?" I heard the pixie-like woman say, very slowly and dangerously. One of the chairs made an obnoxious screeching noise against the floor and I surmised that Alice must have just stood up from the table. "Don't you _dare_ stand there and talk to me about how hard this is on you. You made your choice, Rosalie, and now you need to face the consequences," she stated harshly, her heels clicking along the ground.

_Choices? Consequences? What is she talking about?_

"Oh, and just for the record, you're a _terrible_ actress," Alice continued in an ironic sort of voice. "That was quite a performance you put on at the restaurant. Are you really that repulsed by me that you can't even make it through a dinner now?" She finished, sounding as disgusted as her face looked back at the restaurant.

"You know I'm not _repulsed_ by you, Alice," the blonde informed her companion softly, her demeanor completely different from her last outburst.

Alice seemed to have no come back for that and the kitchen became silent again. I swallowed hard and slowly shifted my weight to my other leg, still standing with my back pressed against the wall. I didn't understand what was happening. What kind of choice would Rose have had to make that involved Alice?

"Are you ever going to tell Bella the truth?" Alice asked in a quiet voice, jolting me back to reality. _Wait… Rosalie lied to me?_

"I'm surprised you haven't told her yourself; you two seem to be inseparable," Rose barked back, by way of a response, sounding petulant. "Tell me, have you fucked her yet?" She finished. My face flushed at what she had said and, I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard the faintest hint of jealousy creep into her voice.

"W-What?" I heard my tiny roommate stutter out.

"Oh, please! Don't give me that innocent school girl act. I've seen the way you look at her and the way you act around her." The blonde spat out. "I bet you can't wait to add Bella Swan's name to the notches on your bedpost."

My anger flared at my best friend's brazen words and my right hand clenched into a fist at my side. I had barely absorbed what had been said when I heard an almighty _crack! _indicating that someone had just got slapped across the face. "Get the fuck out, Rosalie," Alice demanded in a quivering voice. I knew she was furious because I had never heard her swear before. "NOW!"

I quickly realised that Rosalie would be opening that door in a matter of seconds and I needed to move. I couldn't let them know I had heard their conversation. Not yet, anyway. Besides, I wasn't sure I could bring myself to even look at Rosalie right now. The living room was no more than three strides from where I was currently standing so I clumsily shuffled away from the kitchen as quietly as I could. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the living room, I heard the kitchen door open with a squeak and Rosalie's loud, quick footsteps could be heard echoing off the walls. My front door was flung open and slammed shut again within the second, as Rosalie disappeared into the night.

I was standing behind the living room door unable to move and staring at the floor, where the moonlight was streaming in and making sharp silhouettes across the carpet. Rosalie had lied to me. She had lied to everyone. I had been dragged into this unfathomable situation and had done everything in my power to try and help her, even if it went against my better judgement, and she hadn't even been honest with me. What else had she lied to me about?I was beginning to think that maybe Alice knew her better than I did.

I heard a noise coming from the kitchen that sounded very much like a muffled swear word. Alice then gave a heart wrenching whimper before breaking down altogether and sobbing uncontrollably. Hearing Alice's cries of anguish from the other room triggered something deep within me and I felt my face crumple and I collapsed onto the floor. I clamped my hand over my mouth as tears streamed down my cheeks and I felt a frighteningly overwhelming need to go to Alice and wrap her up in my arms; but I couldn't.

I just couldn't.


	7. Chapter 7

Two days passed and I was still angry with Rosalie. My best friend had tried to call me numerous times but I had ignored every single attempt. It's about time she understood what it felt like. I couldn't believe that, after everything I had done for her, she didn't even have the common decency to tell me the truth. Besides all that, I was also furious with her for how she had spoken to Alice. Every time I saw the tiny woman now, all I could think of was the heartbreaking sobs that came from my kitchen two nights ago. I just wanted to hug her constantly and tell her everything would be okay. I never did, though.

Alice surprised me the morning following the argument. I had expected her to be quiet and a bit withdrawn, but she was quite the opposite. Rosalie may not have been much of and actress, but Alice certainly was. In fact, she told me that morning that I looked tired and asked if I was feeling alright; when she herself looked equally tired, if not more so.

I had also surprised myself over the last two days as well. I thought that finding out about Alice's feelings for me would have made me distant with her, but I wasn't. After my initial shock, I found the whole thing oddly flattering. I mean, nothing was ever going to happen, so where was the harm in it? I do admit, though, ever since Jasper asked me what exactly my feelings were with regards to Alice, I had caught myself staring at her more than I had before. And yes, when she leaned forward, I _may_ have looked to see the exposed strip of bare skin between her top and her jeans; but everyone did that kind of thing, didn't they?

I was currently sitting at my kitchen table watching Alice cook breakfast and brew coffee at the same time. _She'd be perfect for the coffee shop. I really hope Peter gives her a chance._

"Hey, Alice, do you still want me to come with you today?" I asked her. My miniature roommate flipped the pancakes before turning to face me, spatula still in hand.

"Of course I do, I need the moral support!" Alice told me with a beaming smile, but it soon faltered. "Unless you have other plans…"

I quickly shook my head. "No, of course not. I promised I'd go with you and I will," I said with a smile. "Are you nervous?"

"A bit," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders and turning her back to me in order to inspect our breakfast.

"Don't be; Peter is lovely. Just turn on the old Alice Cullen charm and you'll have him wrapped around your little finger." A chuckle left my throat as I spoke and I heard Alice giggle in response, still with her back to me.

My tiny friend served the now-cooked pancakes onto our plates and carried them both to the table. As she gracefully lowered herself into the chair, I noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed. I looked down at my breakfast and smiled to myself. Just then, my phone rang and vibrated against the table. Alice and I both jumped at the intrusion. _Who is calling me at 8:45am? _I reached over, tilted the phone in my direction and glanced at the screen, only to seethe name _Rosalie_ displayed. I huffed, hit the _ignore_ button and flung the phone back onto the table. I could feel Alice's gaze on me and I busied myself with a delicious pancake, waiting for her to open her mouth.

"Who was that?" She asked, curiously.

"Your sister-in-law," I replied, without looking at her. In my peripheral vision, I saw her fidget slightly in her chair but she recovered quickly and cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Are you two not speaking?" She asked, sounding genuine enough.

I glanced up at her from under my eyelashes, trying to read the emotions on her face, but she was looking down and pushing her breakfast around the plate. "Let's just say, she's been annoying me a lot recently," I answered, a bit cryptically.

To my surprise, Alice's face fell slightly and she bit her bottom lip. "I hope I'm not causing problems for you, Bella," the pixie-like woman said to me, in a quiet voice.

My eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

She sighed heavily before meeting my gaze. "Ever since I got here, I feel like I've done nothing but cause trouble for you, for Emmett… for Rosalie." The last part of Alice's statement came out as barely more than a whisper.

It would be so easy for me to ask Alice what _exactly_ had happened between Rose and her, but something told me she wouldn't talk to me about it until after my best friend had. Plus, I wanted to hear it from Rosalie; I _needed_ to. She owed me that much. However, there was nothing wrong with discreetly fishing for tiny bits of information, was there?

I raised a questioning eyebrow at the raven-haired woman opposite me. "Rosalie? Why would you care if you caused trouble for her? Surely you two hate each other?" I asked as innocently as possible.

"I don't hate her, Bella." Alice replied sternly. "She's…" My roommate began again, but cut herself off. A sad smile graced her features as she looked me straight in the eye again. "Like you said, she's my sister-in-law."

_I think we both know she's a hell of a lot more than that, munchkin._

"And Rose?" I ventured. "If I asked her if she hated you, what would she say?"

She stared at me intently, with an almost pleading look in her eye. "I think you need to ask her that, don't you?"

We fell into silence after that and I had a million questions swirling through my head. _Am I being too hard on Rose? Should I go across the street and settle this, once and for all? And just how on earth does Alice make those flannel pyjama bottoms look so good? _None of them had an easy answer, but one thing was for sure: I was going to have to talk to Rose again, sooner or later. Jacob told me, not so long ago, that if something was going to happen, it may as well be sooner rather than later. _I think I may be taking that advice again, sir._

* * *

><p>11:15am saw me sitting in the coffee shop reading a newspaper and eating a slice of lemon meringue pie. Alice was currently in with Peter having her job interview. If it was anything like the interview I had with him all those years ago, it consisted of Peter telling her all about backpacking across Europe in his youth then, as an after thought, asking her when she could start work.<p>

I was minding my own business, perusing the pages of my paper, when I heard a very familiar and friendly voice from somewhere to the left of me.

"Well, Ms. Swan, this is a surprise."

I turned my head towards the male voice and took in the overalls he was wearing, noticing the copious amount of oil stains. I smiled at my friend. "Jake, what are you doing here?" I asked, standing to give him a hug, which he returned with equal fervor.

"You know my garage is right around the corner, Bells. I practically live here," he explained with a chuckle. "I should be asking you that question," Jacob finished.

"Actually, I'm here with Alice," I told him. "She's having her interview with Peter right now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Alice is here? Well, maybe I'll drink my coffee here today, instead of taking it away," he added with a smirk as he lowered himself into one of the spare chairs at my table. Without reason, my heart sped up and my mouth became very dry as I continued to stand there and stare at him.

"W-Well I don't think we'll be staying, Jake. You know, we're both really… busy," I choked out, aware of just how ridiculously implausible my statement sounded.

"Busy?" He asked, incredulously. "Is that why you're both in a coffee shop at 11:15am on a Tuesday?" He was definitely enjoying this far too much. "Are you so ashamed of me that you don't want your other friends to meet me?" He said in mock hurt, clutching his chest dramatically.

"No, of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?" He questioned, his demeanor becoming slightly more serious. Jake had expressed a desire to meet Alice a couple of days ago and in the back of my mind I had silently agreed to it; but I honestly thought I would have more time to prepare. I wanted to do it on my own terms. Jacob and I never did the whole meet-and-greet thing with each others friends and family and that was the reason I was feeling a bit apprehensive. It wasn't like it had anything to do with Alice, personally…

"I guess we could stay for a few minutes," I conceded, after a moment. Just then, I saw Peter and Alice emerging from behind the 'Staff Only' door and Peter caught my eye. He gave me a wink and I beamed back at him, giving a thankful nod. Alice then came bouncing towards me and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"He's going to give me a shot, Bella! He said he can start me next week!" She squeaked out. I was grinning like a fool and placed my arms around her waist, proceeding to pick her up and spin her round once, before putting her feet firmly back on the ground. She giggled at my actions.

"I knew he would, Alice. Nobody can resist that little face," I told her, my words coming out slightly more flirtatious than they sounded in my head.

"It's all thanks to you, Bella," she said, leaning up and kissing me on the cheek. My face instantly grew red and I averted my gaze to the floor, scratching the back of my head. The sound of Jake clearing his throat interrupted our moment. _I'd almost forgotten he was here. _Alice's head whipped around at the noise and she looked embarrassed when she saw him looking at us.

"Um, Alice, this is my friend Jacob; Jacob this is Alice," I mumbled, by way of an introduction. Jake stood from the table, like the gentleman he is, and extended a hand in greeting.

"Alice, it's a pleasure to meet you," he stated, sincerely, "I've heard a lot about you."

Alice looked surprised as she shook his hand. "Really? I don't mean to sound rude, but I've heard nothing about _you_," she replied, honestly, turning her head to look at me again.

I locked my gaze with Jacob's and he simply smirked and tilted his head, as if he himself expected an answer to her statement. "Jake and I have a strange kind of friendship," I offered as an explanation. The tiny, young woman gave me a queer look but let it go, lowering herself into the seat beside him.

"Congratulations on the new job, Alice," Jake praised.

"Thanks!" Alice replied, smiling endearingly. "Do you come in here a lot?" She questioned, politely.

My long-haired friend laughed. "I'm a car mechanic with a dodgy coffee maker, what do you think?"

Alice giggled. "I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you then?" She surmised.

Jacob glanced at me fleetingly, smiling to himself. "You can count on it, Alice."

* * *

><p>Standing outside Rose and Emmett's house later that day, I felt the breeze harsh against my skin and it sent a shiver down my spine. The air felt heavy. There was a storm coming; I could feel it. I had knocked on the door twice already and neither Emmett nor his wife had answered. I glanced at my watch and frowned.<em> They were both usually home from work by now… <em>Puzzled, I turned around to check if their car was there. It was. That meant that Emmett, at least, was home because he took his car absolutely everywhere.

"Hey it's Bella! Is anyone home?" I shouted, while rapping on the door yet again. It took a moment, but eventually I heard the door being unlocked and it opened, revealing a solemn looking Emmett.

"Hi, Bella," he greeted, forcing a smile onto his face and gesturing for me to come inside.

"Are you alright, Em? Where's Rose?" I inquired, following him as he started to walk towards the living room. He stopped dead, just before crossing the threshold and turned to look at me with a confused look on his face.

"Wait, you came here to see Rose? Didn't she call you?" He spoke in a disbelieving voice. My eyes widened.

"Uh…" _Maybe I should have answered those phone calls after all… _"Where, um, where is she?"

The burly man eyed me suspiciously for a moment, obviously aware that I didn't answer his question. He didn't seem to have the inclination, or indeed the energy, to question me any further, though. Emmett continued into the room and proceeded to fall onto the sofa with his head in his hands while I perched myself on the edge of the armchair. "She's staying with her mother for a while," he finally supplied.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? Why?" I demanded, my voice sounding shrill to my own ears. Emmett's response was an ironic smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

"She said she needed some space." As he spoke, he fisted his hands into his dark curls and began tugging in frustration. I gaped at him with a furrowed brow. _Why would Rosalie do that?_

"I don't understand, Emmett," I began with a shake of my head. "What happened?" He stared at the wall behind me and shook his own head, mimicking my actions.

"After we got home from dinner the other night, she was acting really strange," he began, still not looking at me. "She was pacing around the bedroom, re-arranging the shelves… After a while she said she was going for a walk and disappeared for about a half hour."

_The same half hour, during which, she was arguing with Alice in my kitchen? Was all this because of Alice?_

"When she came back, she slept on the sofa and the following morning, she packed a bag and said she needed time to think about some things," he finished in a morose voice.

_Jesus Christ, Rosalie, what are you playing at?_

Abruptly, Emmett stood and threw his hands in the air in complete exasperation. "God! I'm such an idiot! I really feel like I'm missing something so obvious here!" Both of his hands had returned to his curly locks. "What have I done wrong, Bella?" He questioned, his voice sounding sad and desperate. I had never seen Emmett like this; he was completely blaming himself for Rose's recent behaviour. Right in that moment, I felt a new wave of anger wash over me, reserved for Rosalie Cullen. Not only was she lying to him but, because of her actions, I was now forced to keep things from him as well. _The lies just keep multiplying._ Quickly, I stood and grabbed one of his giant hands between my own two.

"This isn't your fault, Em," I stated firmly, looking him straight in the eye. "Rose is just…" I paused briefly, trying to think of the right words. "I think she's going through something right now and you just need to be there for her," I finished.

"Has she said anything to you?" He blurted out, startling me slightly. "Anything at all?" He finished, with a child-like look of desperation on his face.

As much as part of me wanted to tell him everything I knew, I just couldn't. I couldn't be the one to do it. Besides, I didn't even know how much of Rose's story was true. "No," I replied, just above a whisper. "No, she hasn't." He studied my face for a second before nodding his head and looking at the floor.

"Bella, I…" Emmett began again, but his voice faltered and he took a breath before continuing. "I think I'm losing her and I don't even know why."

* * *

><p>"Is that Isabella Swan?" Rose's mother asked in surprise when she opened her front door and saw me on the step. "Oh, this is such a pleasant surprise! It's so good to see you again, darling!" She exclaimed, hugging me to her ample chest.<p>

It had been quite some time since I had seen the vivacious, blonde woman. In fact, I hadn't seen her since the wedding. In the run-up to the nuptials, she had insisted that Rose and the three bridesmaids (myself included) came to her house to help 'plan the wedding' twice a week. What actually happened was that we all ended up drunk on martini's while Rose's mother told highly inappropriate stories about her days living in Russia.

"Hi, Tanya," I mumbled into her cleavage, nearly choking on the overpowering scent of her perfume. "It's great to see you, too." Tanya pulled back and held me by the shoulders, at arms length.

"My dearest Rosalie tells me that you still haven't found a nice man," she said to me with a sympathetic look and a tilt of her head. "She's been falling down on her duty!" The older woman announced, shaking her head in disappointment at her daughters lack of success when it came to my 'happiness.'

"Mmm," was my only response to her well-meaning, albeit slightly condescending, comment. By this stage, I had been ushered inside, due to the rain that had started to fall the second I got out of my truck and we were both now standing in the foyer. "Speaking of your daughter, is she here?" I questioned.

Tanya exhaled loudly and placed one hand on her hip. "Yes, she's in the conservatory and she's looking very depressed. I told her it would give her worry lines, but will she listen to me?" She asked rhetorically, shaking her head again. "Do try and talk some sense into her, won't you, darling? I don't know what's going on with her these days."

I smiled and nodded my head at Rose's mother. Tanya then reached out and cupped my face with both hands, studying my features. "Such a pretty face," the woman said, softly. "What a shame nobody will take the time to truly see it," she finished, with a dramatic sigh. With that, she removed her hands and walked away, in the direction of the kitchen. _Well, at least Tanya is her same old, crazy self._

As I reached the open door of the conservatory, I saw Rose sitting on the couch with the television on, but she wasn't paying any attention to it. She was staring outside at the rain as it gradually made puddles of water on the ground.

"I hope my mother wasn't too outlandish, just now. Then again, you're well used to her," my best friend stated abruptly, without moving an inch. I didn't answer her; I wanted her to look at me. After a moment, she did just that and I saw her face for the first time. "You didn't return my calls," Rose spoke again, trying to initiate a conversation while turning off the T.V. "You spoke to Emmett?" She guessed.

"Yes I did," I replied, breaking my silence. "He's beside himself, you know. He thinks he's done something wrong."

The blonde bombshell looked away from me again and began picking at her fingernails. "He hasn't," she mumbled in response. I could feel my frustrations towards my friend begin to grow and I pinched the bridge of my nose in an attempt to calm down. I was certain this had something to do with her sister-in-law, I just didn't know what. I leaned against the door frame and folded my arms across my chest.

"This is about Alice, isn't it?" I questioned. Rosalie didn't answer. The only noticeable change in her physical demeanor was that her right leg was now jittering up and down, uncontrollably.

I'd had enough.

"Rosalie, this has to stop!" I shouted, entering the room fully and slamming the door behind me. She flinched at my outburst and whipped her head round, instinctively, to face me. "Do you even realise that you could lose _everything _because of the way you've been acting? And that includes me," I finished, in a harsh tone.

The rain outside had become heavier and it could be heard battering off the roof and windows. The blonde stared at me with an emotionless face for a moment before her flawless features crumpled and she broke down completely. "Shit, Bella, you think I _wanted_ any of this to happen?" She sobbed out with her hands fisting into her long, blonde tresses. "I didn't mean for things to go that far between us! Please, you have to believe me!" She finished, desperately.

The fury on my face slowly faded into a combined look of disbelief and horror, when the magnitude of the situation suddenly hit me full force. I had been making a list in my head over the last couple of days, of all the possible things that could have happened between Rose and Alice; each theory more absurd than the last… _Why had I not considered this as a possibility?_

"You and Alice… it wasn't just a one night stand, was it?" I asked slowly. She turned her miserable face towards me and looked me straight in the eye, before shaking her head and confirming my suspicions. This scenario had never crossed my mind and I have no idea why. Now that I knew, it seemed so obvious; all the signs were right there in front of me the whole time. I guess, people really do only see what they want to.

"It went on for weeks," Rose began explaining. "I told you we first met in a bar and that much is true; it was just after she had come back to New York, after graduating university. She was like nobody I had ever met before…" The blonde trailed off and a slight smile graced her lips as if she was remembering something. "Emmett and I were having problems and we were fighting a lot; I'm sure you remember." _Damn right, I remember._

"When I was with Alice, all that went away," Rose confided. "I felt like a different person when I was with her. I felt like a _better _person; and believe me, I know how ironic that sounds, considering I was having an affair with her." I was still standing, staring at her and my mouth was hanging open. Rosalie was looking more nervous than I had ever seen her before and I knew for sure she wasn't lying this time.

"As time went on, we became closer and closer and I realised that I was starting to develop real feelings for her. I still loved Emmett, with everything I had, but there was just something about Alice." Rose shook her head, as if she couldn't believe it herself. She then looked up at me with a pleading look in her eyes. "I tried to put a stop to it, Bella, I really did, but I couldn't stay away from her," she finished, her voice sounding shrill and desperate.

"The wedding was drawing nearer and, eventually, I told Alice that I was seeing someone else and she made me choose between her and this mystery person. Obviously, I chose Emmett." I felt like my legs would give way beneath me and I gingerly made my way to the couch and sat beside her. She turned her body slightly so she was facing me. She waited for me to meet her gaze before she spoke again.

"I swear to you, Bella, I didn't know Alice was Emmett's sister. Both of us only found out who the other was on the night of the Cullen family dinner." My best friend laced her fingers together on her lap before elaborating. "I had never told Alice that I was engaged to be married. She just thought I was casually seeing someone else and that I chose them over her. That evening at the Cullen house was one of the worst nights of my life." I could see tears forming in her eyes but she blinked them away. "I don't think I'll ever forget the look on her face," she finished, looking at the floor.

I didn't know what to say. This didn't feel real. I felt like I was living within the pages of an overly complex romancenovel. Rose's recent actions, while still being over the top, were slightly more understandable. However, the way my friend was behaving, right now in front of me, made me think that there was more than guilt and shame affecting her behaviour.

"Have you ever regretted your choice?" I croaked out, my voice not sounding like my own. She returned her gaze to mine, revealing that her eyes were still shining with unshed tears, and I couldn't read her face at all.

"I love my husband, Bella. Nothing will ever change that," she stated, very deliberately, her eye contact never faltering. _What kind of an answer is that?_ A thought then occurred to me and I was terrified to even verbalise the question running through my mind. But I had to know.

"Rosalie, do you love her?"

A tear finally escaped and the blonde wiped frantically at her eyes. "After she left, I really thought she had become part of my past," she informed me when she had composed herself. "But, seeing her again, over a year later… Bella, I don't know what I feel for her anymore."

Rosalie's voice had begun to quiver and she finally succumbed to her emotions, letting her tears fall freely. Although I was still angry with her and I couldn't believe how monumentally _stupid_ she had been, I couldn't just sit back and watch her fall apart. I shifted closer to her on the couch and pulled her to me while she sobbed into my shoulder. When I heard her whimpers subside, I pulled away and placed my hands either side of her face.

"You're not going to fix this by running away, Rose," I told her, firmly. "Go home to your husband, before he tears his hair out. You need to show Emmett how much you love him right now and that he's not going to lose you." I raised an eyebrow at her, questioning if she understood. She nodded her head in acceptance and I let my hands fall into my lap.

"I don't deserve a friend like you, Bella," my best friend said, giving me a watery smile.

I smirked. "I'll remember that the next time I piss you off," I promised and she gave a gentle laugh at my comment. We stared at each other for a moment before I glanced out the window, noticing the rain had eased off. "I should get going, while the rain has stopped," I informed her, rising from the couch. Before I could take a step, she grabbed my forearm and stood as well.

"Thank you," she stated, with an intensity and sincerity I didn't hear very often. I stared her hard in the face.

"No more lies, Rose, do you understand me? Fix this. Fix it soon."

"I promise," the blonde replied, comprehending the underlying threat in my question. I nodded and quickly looked away from her. She let go of my arm and I made my way towards the door.

"Hey, Bella?" Rose called out. I turned round, waiting for her to speak. "I know how crazy I am for even thinking this but…" she paused for a second and took her bottom lip between her teeth. "Nothing's going on between you and Alice, right?"

I stiffened at her unexpected question and my mind was flooded with memories of the argument I had overheard, days before. My heart rate increased and I swallowed hard. "W-Why would you… I mean-"

"I'm sorry, it's just…" Rose cut my off quickly, seemingly struggling to find words herself. "I mean, I know you'd never do something like that…" she trailed off. Not knowing what else to do, I shook my head at her. That simple action seemed to placate her greatly because her shoulders visibly relaxed and she gave me a small smile.

"I just had to check, Bella."

* * *

><p>I fell into a chair in my kitchen and rested my head against the table for a few moments. <em>What a fucking day<em>. At least now I had an overview of what had actually happened. I guess the only thing left to do was hear what Alice had to say. I had no idea what time it was, all I knew was that I was starving. I groaned, realising that I would have to haul my ass up again and make something to eat, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sleep. I raised my head and my eyes caught sight of a note stuck to the fridge.

_Bella, I didn't know when you were coming home so I left dinner for you. It's in the oven. Hope you're OK - A_

I smiled to myself at Alice's thoughtful actions. When I left earlier, I didn't tell her where I was going, just that I might be gone a while. I made my way to the oven and opened it to reveal a pizza box. I laughed to myself when I opened the box and found another note, reading: _What did you expect, a three course meal? - A_

I placed the pizza on a plate and put it in the microwave. Just then, I heard my phone ring and felt it vibrate in my pocket. I fished it out and brought my eyes to the screen. My eyebrows knit together in mild concern when I saw who it was. _It's a bit late for her to be calling, isn't it?_

"Mom?" I queried into the receiver, after accepting the call.

"Bella, honey, is that you?" My mother's frantic voice said. I was highly concerned now.

"Yeah, mom, it's me. What's wrong? Why are you calling so late?"

"It's your father, Bella. He's had a heart attack."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: You're all amazing! :)**

**This one was getting a bit long so i've decided to split it up. **

**Special shout out to Morphy, Villemo79 and megster1992 - You guys inspire me in ways you can't even imagine :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

"Alice, you really don't have to do this," I reiterated for the hundredth time, as I continued to haphazardly pack my bag the following morning.

My tiny roommate had stumbled upon me earlier while I was confirming flight details over the phone and once I told her what had happened, she insisted on coming with me to Washington.

"I've already told you, I'm just going to sit here and worry about you the whole time if I don't come," Alice stated, handing me the small pile of tops I had placed on the bed. "You're in no state be travelling alone anyway, so, I'm coming with you," she finished, with a very definite air of finality.

I glanced at her, gave her a small smile and nodded my head in thanks. The truth is, I really did want someone to come with me but that someone, normally, would have been Rosalie. However, with things as they were, it just didn't feel right to ask her. The more I thought about it, the more I thought Alice would be a better companion in any case. After all, it had been made painfully clear recently that Alice was much calmer in a crisis than Rose.

My mother had informed me over the phone that Charlie was currently in a serious but stable condition at Fork's General Hospital and she couldn't get a flight from Florida to Washington until tomorrow. My parents divorced when I was quite young and I went to live with my mom in Phoenix until I was seventeen. My mother, by that stage, had found a new man (Phil) and they needed to travel around a lot due to his career as a minor league baseball player. I decided to finish my last two years of high school in Forks, where I lived with my dad for two years until I went off to college in New York.

Since then, Charlie and I had become quite distant; only calling each other for five minute phone conversations once every few months. There was no animosity between us, we just didn't know what to say to each other anymore. But he was still my dad. Even though they were divorced, Charlie and my mom had a better relationship than he and I did.

I shoved the last of my things unceremoniously into my bag and zipped it up. "Can you take the bags down and call a cab? I need to leave a message for Rose and Emmett. They'll probably be at work already," I said in Alice's general direction, already pulling out my phone with one hand and running my fingers through my hair with the other. Before responding, Alice waited for me to raise my head to look at her. When our eyes met she gave me the smallest of smiles and I couldn't help but mirror her actions.

"Of course," the spiky haired woman said in a gentle voice. "I'll be downstairs when you're ready." With that, she disappeared from the room, bag in hand, and I took a deep breath before dialling the number for Rose and Emmett's house. As I suspected, neither of them were there (come to think of it, I had no idea if Rose had even come home yet). Nevertheless, I left a message and said Alice and I would be away for a few days at least.

Two hours later, Alice and I were both sitting at a minuscule table in a café at the airport, waiting for our flight to be called. I was alternating between wringing my hands together and tapping my fingernails, annoyingly, on the table. A tiny hand slowly reached across the table and rested on top of my own.

"Bella, try to calm down, you're just going to make yourself feel worse," Alice said, in an almost pleading voice, dipping her head to make eye contact with me. I moved my gaze to the hand resting upon my own before looking into those sparkling blue orbs. I saw deep concern staring back at me and I also couldn't help but notice how tired Alice looked. _Has she not been sleeping well?_

"Sorry," I mumbled, averting my eyes again. "I just hate waiting around. Why are we waiting around?" I asked rhetorically, my voice getting slightly louder as I looked around wildly for someone to blame. The raven-haired woman opposite me squeezed my hand gently.

"He's going to be okay, Bella," she said, trying to placate me.

"You don't know that," I murmured back, looking at her and shaking my head. Alice leaned forward slightly in her chair and tilted her head to the side.

"Your mom said he was stable. That's a good sign," the pixie-like woman reminded me.

_Stable… What does that even mean? _"I guess…" I replied, so quietly I wasn't sure she would even hear me. By this stage, I had looked away from her again and was studying a questionable stain on the floor.

"Look at me," Alice stated firmly, but not aggressively. My head shot up involuntarily, before my brain had even processed the command. "He's going to be okay. I just know it," she finished, sounding so sure, I actually believed her. The way her eyes bore into my own made me sure I would have believed anything she said to me in that moment.

* * *

><p>"Swan. Charlie Swan. I was told he had a heart attack," I asked at the nurse's station when Alice and I finally reached the hospital. The woman in front of me looked quite stressed and adjusted her glasses before rummaging through a pile of papers.<p>

"Chief Swan, yes, of course. Are you family?" She inquired, standing up and looking at me properly for the first time. As soon as she focused on my face, realisation dawned on her and she smiled. "Oh, my God, Bella?" she questioned, in a disbelieving voice. My eyebrows rose as I took in the tall woman with brown, honey streaked hair.

"Angela?"

It had been nearly ten years since I had seen my high school friend and she was one of the few people I actually missed when I moved away from Forks. I had no idea she was still here, never mind working in Fork's General Hospital. She always said she wanted out of this one horse town.

"Bella, it's so good to see you! Although, I wish it was under better circumstances," Angela stated, her demeanor becoming more serious again. I smiled at the bespectacled woman.

"It's great to see you too, Angela. How's Charlie?"

"Stable," she replied, nodding her head. _There's that word again_. "He gave us all quite a scare, but he should be fine, Bella. He'll need to make a few lifestyle changes, though. Big ones." Angela finished.

My former friend's words made me realise that Charlie was probably still indulging in his weekly ritual of steak and cobbler at the diner, as well as his above average intake of beer. _'Healthy as a horse,' my ass, Charlie_.

"Sue Clearwater was here earlier trying to see him, but it's only family allowed right now," Angela proceeded to inform me.

"Sue Clearwater?" I asked, with a puzzled look. "Why would she come?" I finished, genuinely curious and Angela simply shrugged her shoulders. Sue's husband, Harry, had died of a heart attack several years ago; perhaps she felt compelled to help Charlie as a result of some unresolved guilt issues…

"He's in a private room just down the hall, I'll take you." Angela then paused and looked at Alice. "I'm sorry, are you family as well?" She asked my tiny companion kindly, her eyes darting between Alice and I.

"Oh, this is Alice," I introduced. "She's…" I trailed off. _What is she? A house guest? An enigma? A catalyst in her brother's troubled marriage? _"She's a good friend," I decided on. I turned my head and smiled towards Alice as I spoke and I bore witness to the subtle blush that covered her cheeks.

"I'll just stay here and wait, Bella," Alice said, already moving to sit in the nearby waiting area.

"Are you sure?" I asked, taking two steps towards her.

"I'm sure he won't want to see anyone but family right now," Alice announced, perching herself on a row of wobbly chairs. "I'll be right here. Take as long as you need," she finished with a smile, which I returned with equal feeling. I nodded and backed away slowly before falling into stride with Angela as we journeyed down the hall.

When we both reached Charlie's room, Angela knocked on the already open door, as a courtesy, to announce our arrival.

"Chief Swan, you have a visitor," the tall brunette declared, before giving me a small smile and walking off towards the nurse's station again. My palms were sweaty and I suddenly felt very nervous. I entered the room and saw Charlie lying on a bed, his bare chest hooked up to a heart monitor. He turned his head in my direction and his face seemed to brighten when he realised who it was.

"Bells?" He croaked out in a gruff voice.

"Ch… Dad, how are you feeling?" I asked, shuffling into the room and dropping myself into the chair beside his bed.

"I'm fine," he said dismissively, wincing in pain as he tried to prop himself up higher in the bed. "Everyone is making a song and dance over nothing," he finished, a bit breathless.

"Dad, you had a heart attack," I informed my father, trying (in vain) to fluff his pillows. "That's not nothing."

Charlie sighed and his eyes roved over my face, as if trying to memorise what I looked like, in case he never saw me again. I was trying to remember the last time I saw him, but I couldn't. I couldn't even remember the last time I called him.

"How have you been, Bells?" He asked, shaking me from my thoughts. My dad, the heart attack survivor, was asking me how I was when he was hooked up to God knows how many drips and machines.

"I've been good, dad," I answered, making a valiant attempt to keep my tears at bay. "I've been good."

* * *

><p>"Well, this is it," I informed Alice, with a shrug of my shoulders, gesturing towards Charlie's house, once we had arrived there from the hospital a few hours later. It had been years since I set foot inside it but it looked just the same as it always did.<p>

Alice exited our hire car and nodded, taking in the humble abode. "I like it. It's… quaint."

I came to a stop beside her, looking up at the two storey house and arching an eyebrow. "Quaint?" I reiterated, smirking. "That's polite talk for, _odd_," I finished, turning my head to look at her. She giggled and nudged my shoulder playfully.

"It's old fashioned. I like it," the tiny elf of a woman responded, sincerely.

We brought our bags inside and I began to make dinner with the supplies we had bought at the store on the way here. Now that I knew Charlie would be okay, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The doctors said he would need someone to stay with him for a while after he gets discharged, just until he regains his strength. Within a few months he should be back to his old self. My mother was due to arrive in the morning and we needed to decide what we would do in terms of care for Charlie.

When I finished making the simple pasta dish, Alice and I ate our dinner in the comfort of the living room. We sat on the couch, side by side, and watched mindless television. As I pushed my dinner around the plate, my mind wandered back to the events of today. The sheer relief I felt when I saw Charlie alive and (relatively) well was overwhelming. If he hadn't pulled through, I don't think I would ever have forgiven myself. He's my father and I couldn't even be bothered to lift the phone to him more than once in a blue moon.

Abruptly, Alice placed her plate on the coffee table and turned her body towards me, placing her hand on my knee. "Bella, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice full of concern. Her voice startled me out of my thoughts and it was only then I realised that I was crying. I rubbed frantically at my eyes.

"Shit," I mumbled in a low voice. "Sorry, Alice. Nothing's wrong… I don't know why I'm crying," I confessed, laughing nervously as I spoke. The tiny woman next to me gave a caring smile before responding.

"Don't apologise. You've had a rough day."

I gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I guess I have," I finally conceded. My tiny companion gave my knee a gentle squeeze before removing her hand and, instantly, I missed the warmth it had provided. There was a moment or two of silence before I spoke up again. "I think I might turn in early, actually. I feel dead on my feet."

Alice bit her lip and suddenly looked slightly nervous. "Oh, okay. Um… I'll just sleep on the couch."

I raised an eyebrow at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes once more. "Alice, no offence, but you look about as tired as I feel. There is no way I'm letting you sleep on this lumpy, old couch. My bed is big enough for both of us."

"Really?" She questioned, her eyebrows inching upwards. I nodded in the affirmative and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "Well, then, I guess I'll turn in early too."

Soon after, I led the way upstairs and Alice fell in line behind me. I opened the door to my bedroom and stepped inside. Other than a thin layer if dust covering each and every surface, it looked pretty much the same as it did when I was seventeen.

"The bathroom is across the hall," I informed my friend, as I opened the closet to get clean sheets. The pixie-like woman grabbed her bag and disappeared to get ready for bed.

Ten minutes later, Alice reappeared through the bedroom door wearing a pair of black sleep shorts and an old t-shirt. My eyes followed her form as she glided across the room towards the bed. If someone had told me two months ago that I would be standing in my bedroom in Forks with Emmett Cullen's baby sister, I would have had them committed. A smile broke out on my face before I could stop it and Alice chose that moment to look up at me.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly apprehensive. I smiled at her and shook my head.

"Nothing at all," I replied, effectively quelling her apprehension. "I'll be right back." With that, I left the room to get changed.

"'Nite Alice," I said, ten minutes later, after turning the bedside lamp off.

"Goodnight."

The only light was from the full moon outside, as it shone through the window and streaked across the ceiling and the bed. Alice and I both lay flat on our back, unmoving.

"Alice?" I whispered out.

"Yeah?"

We seemed to simultaneously turn our heads to look at each other. The ghostly light from through the window illuminated one side of her face and it made her look like a sculpture; a work of art. I looked at the tiny woman lying beside me and felt so grateful to have someone here with me. I couldn't have done this on my own.

"I'm glad you're here," I declared into the silence, looking her straight in the eye. I heard the sheets rustle as Alice's hand sought out one of my own in the darkness. She entwined our fingers together in a comforting gesture.

"Me too, Bella."

* * *

><p>The peaceful morning was disrupted when my phone vibrated, obnoxiously against the table beside the bed. Alice stirred beside me and I groaned, turning over to answer it, thinking it was my mother. <em>Rosalie<em> was displayed on the screen and I was seriously contemplating ignoring her call but decided against it, knowing it would only make her worry and, therefore, call repeatedly until I did answer.

"_Bella? Are you alright? How's your dad?" _My friend's worried voice sounded from the receiver.

I cleared my throat before answering. "I'm fine Rose and Charlie is doing okay too," I told my best friend, my voice sounding hoarse despite my best efforts.

"_Is your mom there?" _Rose asked again, still sounding concerned.

"We're meeting her at the hospital later," I yawned out. Rosalie sighed on the other end of the phone before speaking again.

"_Right…" _She uttered, absentmindedly. There was a moment of silence._ "Um…"_

My brow furrowed at my friend's strange behaviour. "Rose, what's wrong?" I asked, starting to become concerned myself.

"_Alice is with you?" _she mumbled out.

_Fuck, Rose. I can't deal with this right now... _"Yes, she is, is that a problem?" I barked out, starting to become frustrated.

It took her longer than necessary to answer. _"No. No, of course not. It's just… I would have gone with you, you know."_

It was my turn to sigh and I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I know that, Rose. Everything just happened so fast. Besides, don't you think you have more important things to be worrying about right now?" I questioned, as sternly as I could.

"_You're right. You're right..."_

It was silent for a moment and it was starting to become uncomfortable. "I've got to go, Rose. I'll call you and let you know when we're coming home."

The phone call came swiftly to an end and I flung my phone back onto the table before rubbing my hand across my forehead.

"Rosalie?" Alice's gentle voice inquired from beside me. My only response was a nod of the head and she didn't push any further. "Come on, I'll make eggs for breakfast."

A few hours later, Alice and I entered the hospital, much like we had the previous day, only this time when we reached the nurses station, I saw a familiar woman with brown hair, very similar to my own and she was talking to… _is that Sue Clearwater? She must really want to see Charlie._

"Mom," I called out. My mother turned when I spoke and her face lit up when she saw me. I closed the remaining distance between us and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"Oh, Bella, honey. How are you?" Renee asked, pulling back and gently holding my face in her hands. After I had convinced my mother that I was fine and that, yes, I was indeed eating properly, I turned my attention to Sue.

"Sue, how are you? It's been a long time," I ventured with a smile.

"Too long Isabella," the mocha skinned woman replied. Now that I saw her up close, I could see a few more wrinkles and a few more grey hairs than I remembered, but ultimately, she was just the same. "I was just telling your mother that I will be more than happy to help in any way I can, once Charlie gets discharged," Sue finished.

My eyebrows knit together. "Really?"

"Yes. He and I have become…" Sue paused briefly and a small smile graced her features. "Well, we've become quite close."

I inclined my head towards my mother, only to see her smirking and she raised an eyebrow at me. My own eyebrows shot up.

"OH! Oh… So you two are…" I uttered, by way of a question, as I made a strange swirling motion with my hand. _So that's why she's been hanging around the hospital like a bad smell_. A quiet giggle brought my attention back to Alice and I saw her shake her head at me, good-naturedly. I could feel a blush creeping up my neck and I ran my fingers through my chestnut tresses, nervously.

"Mom, this is Alice. She's a friend from New York," I introduced, forgetting that I hadn't already.

"Alice, it's lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming with Bella," mom stated, sincerely, outstretching her hand.

"It's my pleasure," Alice began, accepting the offered hand. "I couldn't let her come alone," she finished, in a slightly quieter voice. As the tiny woman spoke, she looked towards me and our eyes met. I smiled softly before turning back towards my mother, who had an odd expression on her face. She looked almost… surprised?

"Charlie has been asking for you, honey. Maybe you should go in and see him," my mother said, in such a way that left no room for compromise. She had a strange glint in her eye as she spoke and I really wished I knew what she was thinking.

"I'll just wait out here again, Bella," Alice whispered to me, discreetly. Not discreetly enough, though.

"Nonsense!" Mom announced, making Alice jump slightly at my side. "Any friend of Bella's is a friend of the family," she continued, placing her hand on my miniscule friend's shoulder and guiding her down the corridor towards Charlie's room, with Sue and I following behind them. "And you must be a very good friend," I heard my mother speak to Alice again. "I know my daughter, Alice, and she wouldn't allow just anyone to come with her." My mother then craned her head around to look at me and raised an eyebrow, playfully. "Would you, honey?"

_Now, I _really_ wish I knew what she was thinking._

* * *

><p>"So, Alice, are you originally from New York?"<p>

Renee Dwyer was renowned for extracting even the most elusive pieces of information from people and with Alice, she seemed to be surpassing herself, as my raven-haired companion and I sat with my mother in the hospital cafeteria.

"Yes, I am," Alice replied, politely. "I actually lived here in Washington for a while, though. I went to college here."

"College educated, hm?" Mom said, sounding mildly impressed. "Good to know," she finished, glancing at me briefly before turning her attention back to her sandwich.

_Why is mom being so weird with Alice?_

"I'm going to get more coffee. Does anyone want anything?" Alice offered, with an endearing tilt of her head. My mother and I both declined and I watched as Alice gracefully pranced away from the table. After a moment, I focused on my mother again and was greeted with the same strange look that she had given me earlier.

"So," she began. "When were you going to tell me?" My brow furrowed at her question. I wasn't following her thought process at all.

"Tell you what?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee.

"About you and Alice, of course!" She declared, laughing lightly. Taking a sip of my coffee was a bad idea because I proceeded to choke on it when I processed the meaning behind her words.

"M-Mom! Alice and I aren't together!" I spluttered out, wiping some coffee off my chin. _First Jasper, then Rose… now my own mother?_

"Oh?" She queried. Looking genuinely taken aback. "You could have fooled me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat aggressively. My mother abandoned her sandwich and studied my face. A small smile played on her lips and she shook her head ever so slightly, like she used to do when I was a child, not noticing something that was happening right in front of me.

"You're still as clueless as ever, I see," she observed, tucking into her lunch again. "I think you need to ask yourself some questions, honey."

Before I could respond, Alice appeared back at the table and smiled at me sweetly. I returned the gesture automatically, without even thinking and my gaze lingered on her even after she had looked away from me.

_What exactly do I feel for you, Alice Cullen?_

That question was still circulating through my mind hours later, after Alice and I had both gone to bed. I lay flat on my back, staring at the ceiling, as Alice slept soundly beside me, curled up in the sheets.

"…_Whether or not you like Alice the same way she likes you…__Do you?__"_ Jasper had asked me.

"_Nothing__'__s going on between you and Alice, right?__" _Rose had demanded of me.

"_I think you need to ask yourself some questions, honey," _my mother had advised, mere hours ago.

I turned my head in Alice's direction as she lay sleeping, with her face turned towards me. The raven-haired beauty was probably the sweetest, most engaging person I had ever met. Rosalie told me that when she was with Alice, she felt like a different person; a better person. In a strange way, I understood what she meant by that. There really _was_ just _something_ about Alice.

The tiny woman in question stirred in her sleep, causing a tendril of her spiky black hair to fall in front of her face. Slowly I reached out my hand and tucked it back behind her ear. I paused for a moment before gently brushing my trembling thumb across the soft skin of her cheek and she sighed dreamily in her sleep.

_Alice Cullen, do I have feelings for you?_

The answer was, yes. And it terrified me.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is basically just the second part of chapter 8**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"Bella?"

_When did this happen? _How_ did this happen?_

"Beellllaa."

_When exactly did she go from being, Alice - Emmett's little sister; to being, Alice - the tiny woman who makes me feels things I thought were no longer possible?_

"BELLA!" Alice shouted. "Are you even listening to me?" She questioned, waving a hand in front of my eyes, finally getting my attention.

"…Huh?" I replied, moronically, after focusing my gaze on her face. Alice and I had been sitting in the living room for most of the morning having awkwardly fragmented conversations about trivial topics. I was certain she could tell something was wrong; something that had nothing to do with Charlie and my suspicions were confirmed when she opened her mouth again.

"What's going on with you today?" The tiny star of my thoughts asked me, with a crinkled brow. "You've been acting really weird all morning."

I knew I had been acting strangely but I couldn't help it. My mind was thrumming with a thousand questions, each one more unanswerable than the last. Since last night, everything suddenly felt different; like I had been living in darkness and someone finally switched on a light. I suddenly felt blinded by my own stupidity.

"S-Sorry, Alice," I stuttered out, shifting my gaze to the television and feigning interest in a particularly ridiculous infomercial. "I didn't sleep well last night," I quickly improvised. I felt Alice shift closer to me on the couch. I kept my eyes glued to the screen, even when I felt a warm little hand rest upon my thigh.

"I know. You were tossing and turning all night," the small, raven-haired woman informed me. I still didn't turn my head to look at her, or reply to her verbally; I simply nodded my head. After a brief moment, Alice abruptly retracted her hand from my leg and scooted away, back to her original position on the couch. I instantly missed her touch. _But that's bad… right?_

"Bella, I feel like I've done someth-"

"WOW! Look at the time!" I blurted out, looking at my watch and cutting Alice off mid sentence. I knew what she was about to say and the conversation it would lead to. Even though I knew I was hurting her feelings, I couldn't talk to her about all this. "We should get going," I finished, jumping to my feet and exiting the room.

I made my way to the kitchen and once inside, I leaned against the counter top and buried my face in my hands. _God, I miss being clueless._

* * *

><p>"Discharged?" I asked the doctor, incredulously, with wide eyes. "But he's only been here for…" <em>How long has Charlie been here? Two days? Three days? Four?<em>

"Miss Swan, I assure you, your father's condition has stabilised…" _I swear to God, if one more person uses that word, I'm going to scratch their eyes out_. "He is no better off in here than he would be at home," the ageing doctor informed me, in a patronising tone of voice.

"Honey," my mother began, placing a placatory hand on my shoulder. "He's driving the nursing staff mad. If Charlie is fit to go home I think he should go."

"But he's…" I started, my eyes darting between my mother and Sue. "W-What if he's not ready?"

"Miss Swan, your father only had a mild heart attack and the damage to the muscles around his heart was minimal," Doctor Pretentious announced, jumping into the conversation yet again, with a pompous look on his face. _Yep, I'm going to punch you_. I turned my head to glare at him and Angela, who had been standing beside him, spoke for the first time, obviously sensing my annoyance.

"Dr. Gerandy, there are some patient charts that need your signature. I'll get started on Chief Swan's discharge papers," my old friend said firmly, pushing her glasses up her nose. With a curt nod, Dr. Gerandy disappeared from sight. Angela then turned her attention to me and raised a playful eyebrow, while I turned an embarrassed shade of pink. "He may be insensitive, Bella, but he's right. If anything, Charlie will probably do better at home," Angela clarified. I pondered her words for a moment before nodding my agreement.

It was decided that Sue would move in with Charlie and look after him, allowing my mother and I (and Alice) to go home. I still felt strange leaving my father's recovery in the hands of a woman I hadn't seen for ten years but Charlie trusted her, and therefore, so did I.

"Where's Alice today?" My mother asked me as we walked outside the hospital. Charlie wouldn't be discharged until later so the two of us were going to the grocery store to get supplies, saving Sue the trouble.

"Alice? Oh she's… she had to make a phone call." As stupid as my response was, it wasn't a lie. Alice told me earlier that she needed to make a phone call and asked if it was okay that she stayed at Charlie's house instead of coming with me to the hospital. My mother stopped short of reaching her car and turned to stare at me with a strange look on her face.

"What have you done, Bella?" She questioned, her tone somewhere between curious and suspicious. I gaped at her.

"What? Nothing! I haven't done anything." Okay _that_ one may have been a lie. Mom tilted her head and examined my face before sighing heavily and closing the remaining distance between herself and the car.

"Get in the car, Isabella," she commanded in an exasperated voice, before disappearing into the driver's side. _Uh-oh._

The two of us sat in silence as my mother drove from the hospital, through the small city of Forks. The silence was only broken when I noticed that we were driving in the opposite direction of the grocery store.

"Um, mom?" I asked, warily. "I thought we were going to buy food and stuff?"

"Change of plans," she replied, her voice cheerier than I had expected. "You've invited me over to Charlie's for lunch," she finished, without looking at me. I stared at her for a moment before responding.

"O-Okay," I croaked out, nodding my head impulsively. _This can't be good_.

When my mother pulled the car up in front of Charlie's house, she cut the engine and sat back in her seat, while I continued to stare out the windshield. The silence was becoming too much and I reached for the door handle, only to have a strong, motherly grip on my forearm stop me. I whipped my head around and made eye contact for the first time since the hospital and my mother was looking at me with something akin to sympathy.

"Honey, I'm not sure what's going on with you right now, but I'm not going to sit back and let you continue to run away from something that I think could make you happy."

I wanted to ask her what she meant by that but, deep down, I knew what she was talking about; or rather, _who_ she was talking about. She was right. There was no running away from this. Alice had wormed her way into my affections without me even realising and I knew for a fact she felt the same way about me. Whether I liked it or not, I needed to deal with this. I just didn't know how. Was it possible that my future happiness lay with Alice Cullen?

"All I want, is for you to finally be happy, my sweet Bella," mom finished, almost like she was reading my mind. _How does she do that?_

Her words hit me hard and I nodded my head while my face simultaneously crumpled in anguish. "Oh, baby, come here," my mother cooed, leaning across and pulling me to her as I proceeded to sob uncontrollably into her shoulder.

"Mom?" I choked out after a few moments.

"Yeah, honey?"

"Why do weird things keep happening to me?" I asked, laughing slightly as I finished. My mother chuckled as well and brushed my long, chestnut hair away from in front of my eyes, tucking it behind my ear.

"Because you truly are my daughter."

* * *

><p>"Here," I said, handing Alice my credit card after the three of us had sat through an uncomfortably forced lunch. "Book two tickets to any of the New York airports, for any time tomorrow," I related.<p>

"You don't have to pay for my ticket, Bella," my tiny friend said quietly, looking at the floor, apparently finding her shoes very interesting. I glanced fleetingly at my mother and saw the words, 'fix this!' being screamed at me from behind her green eyes.

"I'll wait in the car, honey," mom told me, without waiting for a response, disappearing through the front door.

"Alice," I prodded, gently. Alice slowly raised her head and her face looked so sad it took everything I had not to jump forward, wrap her up in my arms and apologise for every selfish or hurtful thing I, or anyone else, had ever said to her. "I'm sorry," I breathed out, with as much conviction and sincerity as I could muster.

"What did I do?" the raven-haired beauty asked, desperately.

"Nothing," I answered quickly, taking a step towards her and taking one of her hands in my own. "It isn't you, Alice. I'm sorry I made you feel like it was," I finished. I stared deep into those sparkling blue orbs and, not for the first time, I felt like Alice was looking into my very soul. The only difference was that, this time, I didn't feel uneasy in the slightest. I closed the tiny amount of space still between us and wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my face in her hair. I vaguely registered the fact that she had encircled her own arms around my neck, but I was more preoccupied with the vanilla scent that was currently invading my senses. The unique scent that only Alice possessed.

"I've got to go," I whispered into her hair. "We'll talk later, okay?"

I felt the tiny, elfin woman nod against my chest and I pulled back, looking at her one more time before turning on my heel and walking out the door, joining my mother in the car. God bless my mom, she didn't open her mouth the whole time we travelled (finally) to the grocery store, on route back to Forks General Hospital.

By the time we reached the hospital, Charlie was ready to be discharged. Sue had stayed with him and helped him pack up his things and sign a few forms. She would be staying with Charlie as of tomorrow, after Alice and I left.

"Here, honey, carry this will you?" my mother asked, hurling Charlie's bag at me as she and Sue helped him up from the bedside chair into a hospital wheel chair. As we made our way down the corridor, all of us stopped at the nurses station to thank everyone for their care. I focused my attention solely to Angela and she threw her arms around me in a friendly gesture.

"Please tell me I won't have to wait another ten years to see you again, Bella," my bespectacled friend pleaded.

"No way, Ang," I answered, pulling back and shaking my head to further communicate my feelings. "I'll be visiting my dad again soon and when I do, I'll look you up. That's a promise," I finished, honestly and sincerely. We smiled at each other before I followed my odd little family down the remaining length of the corridor and out of the hospital.

We got Charlie settled comfortably in the passenger seat of my car and I shut the door securely. My mom made her way to her own rental car, planning to meet us at my father's house while Sue lingered, looking in at an oblivious Charlie. After a moment she sighed and turned to leave. I took a few strides away from the car and caught up with her, touching her arm gently.

"Sue," I said, getting her attention. "Look after my dad," I blurted out, by way of a request, not referring solely to his health.

Sue's face slowly split into a compassionate smile and she placed her hand over my own which was still situated on her arm. "Your father really loves you, you know," she stated softly. I couldn't help but be filled with joy at her words. I already knew it to be true but it was nice to hear every so often. Even if it wasn't my dad who said it. "I'll look after him. You have my word, Isabella," the copper skinned woman promised me. She squeezed my hand before letting go and walking away towards a vehicle I still remembered and recognised as her late husband Harry's.

We got back to the house within twenty minutes and most of the late afternoon was spent in the living room as my mother, Alice and I regaled Charlie with insignificant, humorous stories, in an attempt to keep his spirits up. Mom stayed for dinner and it didn't escape my notice, the way her eyes would periodically dart between Alice and I. By 8:30pm it was clear that Charlie was getting tired and my mother took that as her cue to leave.

"Call me when you get home, honey," mom asked of me as she stood at the front door. I agreed and proceeded to give her a hug. When she pulled back she took my face in her hands and gave me a smile. "Be happy, my Bella." I nodded my understanding of her sentiment and watched her until she drove off into the night.

"Dad, I'll help you upstairs," I offered, as I re-entered the kitchen and Alice jumped to her feet as well. Between the two of us, we managed to manoeuvre him to the bathroom, then to his bedroom. By the time we got him into bed and were out the door again, he was in the land of nod. Alice and I stood outside his door looking at each other.

"We have an early day tomorrow. We should probably head to bed too," Alice ventured. I scanned her eyes for a moment and felt instantly happier. I smiled and nodded my head in agreement.

In my bedroom, we both packed up the majority of our things in relative silence. We stole glances at each other, both thinking that the other didn't notice and Alice was the first to break the silence, with a highly intelligent contribution of, "I'll be right back," as she disappeared in the direction of the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked me, about fifteen minutes later when we were both propped up in a sitting position, under the covers and against the headboard. "And I'm not talking about Charlie," she clarified, her tone almost defiant.

I exhaled deeply. I was far from okay. Nearly everything I thought to be true about myself had been turned upside down within the space of 24 hours. In my head, I had given up. I had almost come to terms with the fact that I would die alone and be the proud owner of six cats. Then Alice came along and suddenly I felt things that I didn't even feel when I was with Edward. It terrified me that the only person I had to compare Alice to was someone who had hurt me so much; especially when I knew Alice wouldn't hurt me _that_ way. She just couldn't. It wasn't in her nature... _Right?_

I promised Alice we would talk and now that time had come and I couldn't do it. I turned my head towards her and bore witness to her apprehensive demeanour. I couldn't speak to her about what I really wanted to, but there was something else that was never far from my mind these days.

"Rose," I breathed out.

"What?" Alice questioned, after a moments silence.

"You and Rose," I clarified, still looking at her, full in the face. "I want to hear your side of the story," I stated firmly. Alice looked down at the covers and began drawing imaginary designs on the white, cotton sheets.

"Don't you think you should ask Rosalie first before-"

"I already have," I replied, cutting off my tiny friend. Her head whipped around and there was surprise written all over her face. "The morning after we all had dinner with Jasper, Rose disappeared and went to stay with her mother for a few days. I only found out a day later when I went to the house to confront her," I related to Alice. "Emmett was beside himself," I added, almost as an after thought. Alice's surprised expression had turned to one bordering on horror. "I went to her mother's and finally got some answers from her," I finished, being purposely vague. Slowly, Alice's gaze left my face and she stared at the wall in front if us.

"It's my fault," she murmured. My brow furrowed.

"What is?" I asked, not understanding what she meant.

"I shouldn't have come back," the tiny woman answered, more to herself than to me, while shaking her head and continuing to stare at the wall. I don't know why but her words made me feel frustrated.

"So, you think hiding away in Borneo for the rest of your life would have been better?" I barked out, more harshly than I had intended. Alice swung her head around and looked me square in the face with a scowl marring her features.

"If it meant that I didn't hurt everyone around me then, yes, I do!" She hissed, trying to keep her voice down for Charlie's sake. Sensing the direction this conversation was taking I closed my eyes and rubbed one hand across my forehead in an attempt to regain my focus.

"Alice, what happened wasn't your fault," I told her sternly. "You didn't know who Rosalie was."

"And that makes it okay?" My companion replied, almost hysterically. "Every day, Bella; every day I was away, I was haunted by what happened. I love my brother more than anything else in this world. Knowing that I have forever become someone who could potentially destroy his happiness, is something I can't ever forgive myself for," Alice finished frantically and I could see unshed tears shining in her eyes.

_Fuck_. I had never taken the time to look at it from Alice's point of view. In some ways, even though Rosalie was more at fault, Alice had more to lose. All she had was her parents and Emmett and if everything came out, she could potentially lose them both.

"Please don't hate me, Bella, please," Alice sobbed out scrambling closer to me on the bed, resting her head against my shoulder and clutching at my t-shirt. "I can't lose you, too," she managed to get out before she broke down completely. I quickly shifted myself more onto my side so I could snake my arms around the tiny, pixie-like woman, enabling me to hold her close.

"I'm not going anywhere, Alice," I whispered, as she continued to cry into my chest. My words only made her sob harder and clutch at me more ferociously. "I'm not going anywhere," I reiterated, my own voice quivering.

I held Alice until her crying began to subside. When she had calmed down enough, she raised her red, tear stained face to me and I couldn't help but run my thumb along her cheek in an attempt to dry her tears. As I stared into the blue orbs of the raven-haired beauty, I saw her youth and vulnerability staring back at me for the first time. That was the exact moment when she became more than a novelty; more than a mystery; more than Emmett's little sister who happened to be staying in my house. She had become _Alice_.

My Alice.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There probably won't be any updates for about 2 weeks... sorry :(**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Please take note of the M rating for this one...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

"_Good morning, Eclipse Publishing House, how can I help you?"_

"Yes, hello, this is Bella Swan, I need to speak with Dimitri," I stated, sounding as professional as possible, after clearing my throat.

"_Is he expecting your call?" _The nasally voice on the other end of the phone questioned.

"Yes, he is," I lied. He most certainly wasn't expecting my call but if he had any sense, he would take it.

"_Please hold."_

I exhaled heavily, steeling myself for what I imagined was going to be a very taxing conversation. My unexpected trip to Forks had put even more strain on my finances and I _still_ hadn't received the other half of my pay check. As I sat in my tiny kitchen back in New York, I ran my finger around the rim of my water glass and began to wonder (not for the first time) if being a free lance illustrator was even worth all the hassle.

"_Bella Swan," _came the familiar, unfriendly, masculine voice. _"To what do I owe this, I'm sure, unnecessary call?"_

"Well it's nice to talk to you too, Dimitri. Tell me, is there a reason why you are withholding my pay?" I asked firmly, without preamble.

"_What pay would that be, exactly?" _He replied, his voice dripping with mock innocence.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Please, don't play games with me, I'm not in the mood," I ground out, as calmly as possible.

"_Fine, hold on," _he sighed, dramatically. I could hear papers shuffling in the background and the distinctive sound of typing on a computer keyboard. After a few moments he finally acknowledged me again. _"Hmm, oh yes, there seems to have been a bit of an over sight; most likely an administrative error. My apologies," _he sneered, not sounding remotely apologetic. _Fucker_. Not wanting to speak with him any longer than absolutely necessary, I decided now would be a good time to wrap it up.

"Well, thank you _so_ much for sorting that out for me," I began, not even trying to disguise the sarcasm in my voice. "I won't take up any more of your precious time."

"_Wait," _he growled out. I was surprised to say the least. Usually, he disliked talking to me as much as I disliked talking to him. _"I suppose since I have you on the phone, you should know…"_ he trailed off, as if debating whether or not to actually tell me.

"Know what?" I demanded. There was a short pause before my 'boss' decided to speak again.

"_I received a phone call from a publishing house in L.A. the other day. They seem to be interested in you," _Dimitri informed me, sounding as if he was speaking through gritted teeth. I frowned. I had never had interest from another publishing company. Individuals and small businesses, yes; but never publishers.

"What do you mean 'interested in me'?" I queried, vocalising my thoughts.

"_I don't know, Swan!" _Dimitri barked out, startling me slightly. After a moment he sighed and I could just imagine him running his hand through his dark hair. _"Look," _he began again, in a softer voice. _"Do you want me to give them your contact details or not?"_

"Yes!" I blurted out. _I'd have to be crazy not to see where this goes_. "Yes, of course," I reiterated in a calmer voice.

"_Fine."_

Silence.

I had had some strange interactions with the man currently on the other end of my phone, but this one was by far the strangest. "If I hadn't called you today, would you ever have told me about this?" I ventured, thinking that I already knew the answer.

"_I have a meeting, Swan," _I was told, by way of an answer. _"But," _he continued, _"I'm sorry about your pay. It really was an honest mistake."_

With that, Dimitri hung up and I sat in stunned silence, slowly lowering the phone from my ear. Whatever I had expected from our conversation, it wasn't that. I stayed at the kitchen table, unmoving, until I heard the telltale signs of Alice descending the stairs. I quickly stood and made my way to the sink, busying myself by washing the breakfast dishes. As soon as Alice entered the kitchen, I could almost feel her presence swirling all around me and the closer she got to me, the stronger it felt.

"Have you called that Dimitri guy yet?" Alice asked, after she had braced herself against the counter next to the sink.

"Yeah, I called him," I replied, raising my head to look at her. "Everything is sorted," I finished with a smile. Alice beamed back at me and I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and kiss her, but I felt like something was holding me back. This was the third day we had been back in New York and I think we both knew that something had changed between us, although, neither of us said anything. Neither of us had to; our actions spoke for themselves. Now, every evening after dinner, we both sat on the couch in the living room watching television, gradually inching closer and closer together until Alice's head rested on my shoulder. We would sit like that until neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer and then we would share a long hug at the top of the stairs, before both of us disappeared into our respective bedrooms.

"Glad to hear it," the tiny woman next to me said, sincerely. My hands had long since stilled from washing the dishes. Instead, my body was putting all its energy into focusing on Alice's beautiful face. Our moment was ruined when my front door gave a loud bang, indicating that someone had just let themselves in and slammed the door shut again. Alice and I both jumped at the noise and instinctively sprang apart.

"Bella, where are you?" Rosalie's unmistakable voice resonated throughout the house. I sighed before answering that I was in the kitchen. When the blonde joined Alice and I, she stopped dead in her tracks and focused all her attention on Alice. "Oh, um, I didn't think you'd still be here. Aren't you supposed to be starting at that coffee place today?" That was probably the most civil thing I had ever heard Rose say to her sister-in-law.

"I was just leaving," Alice replied quietly, walking towards the table and lifting her purse.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" I offered to my tiny roommate for the fourth time that morning. Alice moved to face me again and smiled sweetly before shaking her head in the negative.

"I want to walk; clear my head a bit," she said, riffling through her purse, checking that she had everything with her.

"You still want me to pick you up?" I questioned in a hopeful voice.

"That would be great," the pixie-like woman replied, touching my arm briefly before stepping away from me. "Wish me luck!" She finished.

"You don't need luck, Alice, you'll do great," I told her with a toothy grin. She giggled before turning and striding past Rose, ignoring her completely. My best friend stood rooted to the spot and waited until she heard Alice leave the house before she closed her eyes, just for a split second, and let out a deep, silent breath. It happened so quickly that I'm not sure I would have noticed it if I hadn't been looking at Rose so intently. Then, like the flick of a switch, Rosalie's features returned to normal and she sat herself down on one of the chairs around the table, while I continued to stand near the sink. _I'm just going to pretend I didn't notice all of that…_

"Seriously, Rose, that key is for _emergencies. _If you don't stop letting yourself in here, I'm going to take it off you," I said as a distraction, steering the conversation in a totally different direction. Distraction or not, it _did_ piss me off that she kept doing that.

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde said flippantly, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "Anyway, you're not doing anything tonight, are you?" Rose asked.

I thought for a moment before shaking my head. "Don't think so, why?"

"It's Jasper's last night in the city so he's coming over for a few drinks later. I thought it would be cool if you and Alice came over too. I know he'd love to see you two again before he leaves," the blonde answered, sounding genuinely excited by the prospect.

This morning was full of surprises. I wasn't surprised that I was invited over for Jasper's final night, I was surprised because Rosalie had properly invited Alice. _I guess she really is trying. _I smiled at my friend.

"Sure, we'll be there," I said, my smile getting bigger.

"Okay, cool," Rose uttered, glancing at her watch. "Shit, I have to go, I'm late for work," she announced, rising from the table. "I'll see you later, though. Say, about 7:30?" I nodded my agreement and my friend proceeded to let herself out, leaving me in the house by myself.

I ran my fingers through my chestnut hair and exhaled loudly, before I turned my attention back to washing the dishes. It wasn't even lunch time yet and already I felt exhausted. Hopefully the rest of the day would be less eventful.

* * *

><p>As I parked my ageing truck near the coffee shop, I couldn't help but feel happy at the thought of seeing Alice again. It had only been about six hours since I last saw her but, as ridiculous as it sounds, I actually missed her. That tiny girl really had clawed her way right under my skin.<p>

When I entered the coffee house, my eyes automatically caught sight of Alice sitting at one of the tables. _She must have finished early_, I thought to myself. On closer inspection, I saw that she wasn't alone. My roommate seemed to be deep in conversation with a man, whose back was to me, preventing me from seeing who he was. I slowly began walking towards the table and neither of them seemed to realise I was there. As I got closer, I could make out some of what Alice was saying.

"I can't do that," she said to her companion, shaking her head. "What if I ask her and she just…" Alice then trailed off, her head snapping up when she noticed me. "Bella!" She exclaimed. Her outburst alerted her friend to my presence and he stood to face me. My eyes widened when I realised who it was.

"Jake?" I questioned in a disbelieving tone, my voice higher than normal.

"Well, hello to you too, Ms. Swan," Jacob retorted with a smirk, pulling me into a hug.

"Jake, what happened to your hair?" I asked again, pulling back and rubbing my hand over his now cropped locks. He chuckled and ran his own hand through his short, dark tresses.

"I just thought it was time for a change," my friend stated, simply. I studied his new hairstyle for a moment before shaking my head.

"I'm not sure if I like it," I confessed, brushing away a strand from in front of his eyes. Jacob smiled at me and tilted his head to the side as his hawk-like eyes took in my facial features.

"I think you just need to get used to it," he said in a quiet voice, raising an eyebrow. My forehead creased slightly in confusion. _We're still talking about hair, right?_

"Bella," Alice interrupted, effectively shifting my focus to her. "Come and sit down, I have to finish my coffee," she said, lifting her cup off the table, as if to prove her point. I smiled at her and grabbed a chair, positioning myself between my two friends at the small, circular table.

"So, how was your first day?" I asked Alice with enthusiasm. Her face fell slightly and she looked down at the table.

"Not great," my pixie-like friend said, sounding morose. "First, I spilled hot coffee down my apron, then, I dropped a customer's sandwich on the floor, right in front of him, then, I dropped a cup and it smashed into a million pieces and _then_…" I couldn't let Alice berate herself any longer so I reached forward and placed my hand on top of her own, which was resting the table.

"Alice, it was your first day," I said gently, trying to make her feel better. "Nobody's first day goes well in a place like this, right Jake?" I finished, looking at him in an attempt to get reinforcement. I witnessed Jake's gaze linger on my hand on top of Alice's but he quickly looked away and seemed completely unfazed by it.

"Absolutely. I still remember Bella's first day," Jacob started, chortling to himself. "She set one of the dish towels on fire because she left it on the grill," he finished, now laughing heartily.

I groaned. "For the last time, Jake, that was an _accident_. Even Peter said so!" I defended myself, petulantly, removing my hand from Alice's and folding my arms across my chest while I glared at him.

"Hey, I believe you, Bells!" My now short-haired friend laughed out, both his hands raised in silent surrender. A tinkling giggle brought me out of my glare and I saw Alice's blue eyes sparkling with mirth. I couldn't help but relax and chuckle myself. _At least I've cheered her up a bit._

"Oh, Alice, we're going over to Rose and Emmett's tonight," I informed my roommate, while I remembered. "It's Jasper's last night here and Rose is having a few drinks to send him off," I finished, stealing a bit of Jacob's giant cookie. Alice nodded her head slowly and toyed with the rim of her cup.

"Sure, no problem," she murmured, before plastering a fairly convincing smile on her face. "Sounds like fun."

I sensed her displeasure at having to go and felt a bit guilty. _Perhaps I should have asked her before I agreed to Rose's invitation so quickly_. "We'll only stay for a little while," I offered as a compromise. Alice just looked at me and smiled sweetly. There was an awkward silence before Jacob cleared his throat.

"Alice told me about your dad, Bella, how is he?" Jake asked, successfully steering the conversation in a new direction.

"Better," I answered. "I spoke to him last night. I think Sue might be regretting her decision to live with him, though," I finished, laughing lightly. As the three of us sat talking and bantering, I hoped and prayed that Alice wasn't too annoyed with me.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure she said 7:30?" Alice asked me, as the pair of us stood outside Rose and Emmett's house that evening.<p>

"Yeah, I'm sure," I replied, banging on the door for the fourth time. Another moment passed and there was still no response. "Alice, do you still have your key?" I questioned the tiny woman, inclining my head towards her.

"Oh, yeah, I do actually," she realised, digging through her purse. _If Rose can let herself into my house, I can let myself into hers. _"Here," Alice spoke, handing me the key. I turned it in the lock, letting both of us into the house. As soon as I closed the door behind us, a strange noise coming from the kitchen startled both Alice and myself. We looked at each other with puzzlement colouring our features and we quickly made our way to the kitchen.

"Dear _God!_" I exclaimed, after bursting through the door. I stood rooted to the spot as I witnessed my best friend pressed against the wall with her legs wrapped around her husband's waist. Emmett's bare ass was on display as he thrust himself repeatedly into his wife, his trousers down, around his ankles. From behind me, I heard Alice make a noise somewhere between a squeak and a choke. Emmett's head whipped around and the combined look of surprise and horror was evident on his face. Rose, on the other hand, didn't seem to care in the slightest that she had just been caught in a compromising situation. Her gaze instantly focused on the area behind me, where I knew Alice was standing, while Emmett fumbled with his jeans, trying to gather what remained of his dignity.

"I'll be in the living room," I heard Alice mumble, her voice sounding strained. Before she slid away, I turned my head in her direction and didn't miss her clenched jaw or rigid posture.

Even though I knew I shouldn't, I let my gaze pull back to the scene in front of me. It was like bearing witness to a car crash. "Um, I'll just… I'm going to… I'll be right back," Emmett stuttered out, flying past me and out the door. I could hear him ascending the stairs and It took everything I had not to think about what he was going to do up there.

"Hey, Bella, what's up?" Rosalie asked nonchalantly, straightening out her dress, as if I hadn't just caught her having sex in her kitchen. I gaped at my friend and shook my head in disbelief.

"Jesus, Rose, what the fuck was that?" I squawked out.

"What?" The blonde spoke innocently, shrugging her shoulders. "You told me I needed to fix things with Emmett. This is how we fix things," she finished, lifting a half-full wine glass off the counter top and draining it one gulp. I raised an eyebrow. _How much has she had to drink?_

"You fix things by having kitchen sex when you know you're having visitors over?" I questioned, incredulously, as I crossed my arms across my chest.

"In my defence," Rosalie shot back, putting her hands on her hips. "You just let yourself into my house," she rebuked.

"Annoying, isn't it?" I said firmly, glaring at the blonde bombshell. Rosalie rolled her eyes and relaxed her pose, her hands falling limply at her sides.

"Come on, Bella, why are you making such a big deal out of this?" She asked, turning away briefly to refill her wine glass. It was a fair question and I actually had no idea why I was making such a big deal about it. Rose turned back to me, glass in hand, and she smirked. "I bet you're jealous."

My eyebrows crawled up my forehead. "Jealous of _what_, exactly?" I inquired, genuinely confused by her statement.

"Of the fact that I'm getting some and you're not," my friend said, almost victoriously. "Seriously, Bella, when was the last time you got laid?" Rosalie asked, leaning against the wall. My eyes widened at her question and I could feel the heat rising in my face. Rose had never asked me that before. Even though she had set me up with countless men, she had never asked for the specific details of what I got up to with them. It was something I was very thankful for.

"Uh… well, I mean I…" I stuttered out, rubbing the back of my neck nervously and wondering how on earth this conversation had turned on me so quickly. _Nothing good can come from letting yourself into someone else's home. This just proves it_. Rose raised a curious eyebrow.

"You _have_ had sex since Edward, right?" She asked, very slowly and deliberately. The answer was no, I hadn't. Since Edward, I hadn't felt that _urge_ to be physically intimate with someone. It just didn't seem to be there anymore. The thought of even kissing someone had started to feel like a chore and all of this was yet another reason why the very thought of being with Alice terrified me. The tiny, raven-haired beauty had done the unthinkable and had succeeded in producing those kinds of urges within me and that scared me. Obviously, I wasn't going to tell Rose any of that.

"Of course I have!" I replied, defiantly, folding my arms across my chest once again. Rosalie studied my face for a moment, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed, realisation dawning on her. "Bella, you haven't, have you? That's like… okay, how many years is that? Four? Five?" She asked, rhetorically, her eyes darting around the room, as if looking for something to trigger her memory. _God damn it…_

"Rose, can we please not-" I pleaded, but she cut me off.

"I set you up on all those dates and you never slept with _any_ of them?" My friend asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "Not even Sam? 'Cause I thought you two-"

"Rose!" I shouted, gesticulating with my hands, finally getting her attention. "Can we please not do this now?" I begged. My blonde friend stared at me for a moment before slowly nodding her head and silence descended upon the kitchen.

"Shouldn't Jasper be here?" I asked after a moment, glancing at my watch. Rose turned away from me and opened a cupboard, retrieving another wine glass.

"Oh, he won't be here until after 8 o'clock," she informed me. My eyebrows knit together.

"Then why did you ask Alice and I to be here at 7:30?" I questioned, not understanding why we needed to be here early.

Rose just shrugged while she filled the extra glass with wine. "Drink," she demanded, before handing me the glass and walking out of the room. I stared after her and sighed audibly. _Well, so far, this night isn't going quite like I thought it would_.

* * *

><p>"Okay, okay, I've got another one," Emmett announced, getting everyone's attention after they had recovered from their latest laughing fit. He turned to his wife. "Babe, remember the time when Bella spilled soda on her pants in Burger King and that little kid shouted, 'mommy, look, she peed herself!'" The burly man finished, with a booming laugh. Everyone but me followed suit and Rose was actually wiping tears of mirth from her face. I glared at Emmett. This was his favourite sport: Bella Bashing. I guess I was an easy target. It was all done in the best possible fun but it did become tiresome after a while and I felt that time had come. I think Jasper must have seen the look on my face because he stopped laughing first and came to my rescue.<p>

"I think we've embarrassed poor Bella enough for one night," Rosalie's brother stated, from his position sprawled out on the floor. I threw him a grateful smile and he winked back. I moved my head to look at Alice, who was seated beside me, and caught her looking at Jasper with an oddly serious look on her face. If Jasper noticed, he didn't show it. His attention seemed to have shifted back to Rose and Emmett as they continued to kill themselves with laughter. I gently nudged Alice with my elbow.

"Are you alright?" I asked, discreetly. She looked at me, her eyes travelling over my face and lingering on my lips a fraction too long. Her delicate features were graced with that sweet smile that made me want to melt. Maybe it was just the wine talking but I don't think she had ever looked so beautiful as she did in that moment.

"I'm alright," she replied, softly. "Here," the tiny woman uttered, handing me her drink. "I'm going to use the bathroom." With that, Alice disappeared from the room and my eyes trailed after her. When I heard her feet on the stairs, I tore my gaze from the door and felt the penetrating eyes on Rosalie on me.

I met her stare for a moment as she perched on the arm of the single-seat chair currently occupied by Emmett. Both of our faces were expressionless and I tried to decipher the emotions behind her greenish-blue eyes. I couldn't be sure but there seemed to be a mixture of confusion and apprehension burning fervently through her piercing orbs. The blonde quickly broke eye contact with me and slid into the lap of her husband and proceeded to kiss him hungrily, not seeming to care that her baby brother was less than ten feet away from her. My head swung around towards Jasper and instead of seeing a playful look of disgust, I saw a very definite expression of worry on his face.

"Bella," the youngest Hale began, shifting his eyes to me. "Come here, I want to show you something," he finished, getting up off the floor and walking towards the sliding door that separated the living room from the small, outside garden. With another fleeting glance at my best friend and her husband, I stood and followed him outside.

"What do you want to show me?" I asked, looking around when we had both moved a sufficient distance away from the door.

"Nothing!" Jasper exclaimed, with an ironic laugh. "I just needed to get away from the live sex show going on in there!" He continued pointing in the direction of the house. "What is going on with my sister and why is she drinking so much tonight?" Jasper questioned, running both hands through his sandy coloured locks. I wasn't sure if he was actually asking me or if he was just venting his frustrations. "Bella," he started again. "If you know something, _anything_, please, tell me. I'm starting to get really worried about her."

It was clear that he was extremely worried but I still couldn't tell him what was going on…

"Jasper, I-" I began, but was cut off when the outside door slid open again, revealing Emmett.

"What are you two old ladies yakkin' about out here? You're not making a move on Bells, are you Jazz?" Emmett asked, playfully, laughing at his own joke. "Get back inside!" The curly haired man finished, with a toothy grin. Jasper and I both smiled back at him and said we would be there in a minute.

After Emmett disappeared again, I turned to Jasper and shook my head. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I can't have this conversation with you," I said, my voice laced with sorrow and my eyes begging for understanding. For a long moment we stared at each other in complete silence, before Mr. Hale lowered his head and nodded his understanding.

"Just…" The sandy-haired man spoke, tentatively, raising his head again. "Is she going to be okay?" He questioned. _I have no fucking idea_.

"Yes," I replied, with as much conviction as I could. "She's going to be fine."

My words seemed to placate him because his posture visibly relaxed. "Give me your phone," Jasper said abruptly, with his hand outstretched. I furrowed my brow but proceeded to reach into my back pocket, retrieving my cell and placing it in my companion's hand. He quickly typed in his number and saved it before returning my phone to me. "I want you to call me if you need anything," he began and I nodded my head. "I mean it, Bella," Jasper stated, more firmly.

"I will," I promised him, before turning, with the intention of going back inside.

"Oh, Bella?" My best friend's brother said again, making me turn around to face him.

"Hurry up and ask Alice out on a date, will you?" The man in front of me declared, with a smirk. "I can practically _feel_ the waves of lust coming off both of you," he finished. My eyes widened and I felt a blush stretch across every inch of my face. My throat let out a strange squeaking noise and I turned on my heel, beginning to walk towards the door again, while Jasper laughed heartily behind me.

As we both stepped back into the living room, the first thing I saw was Alice putting her jacket on.

"You're leaving?" I blurted out, without thinking. Alice turned and smiled sadly at me.

"Yeah, I have to work in the morning," she answered, while I frowned. _No, she doesn't. She told me earlier her shift doesn't start until two o'clock tomorrow._

"Okay, well, I'll just come with you then. It's getting late anyway," I said, reaching for my own jacket.

"No," Alice and Rose both stated at the same time, the blonde sounding a lot louder and a lot harsher, probably due to her alcohol intake. Everyone turned to stare at Rosalie, wondering what triggered her bizarre outburst. _It's probably just the alcohol…_

"I mean… you know, it's only, like…" Rose trailed off, staring at her watch trying to tell what time it was. "Okay, honey, what time is it?" The blonde asked of her husband, thrusting her arm in front of his face.

"It's just after midnight," Emmett replied, easily reading the time. I smiled at him and nodded my head.

"Alice and I are leaving," I said, with a note of finality that not even Rose could argue with. My best friend locked eyes with me before shifting her gaze to Alice. Not for the first time, there seemed to be a silent conversation between the two women. Alice quickly looked away, apparently finding the curtains immensely interesting. Rose (while still looking at Alice) moved her hand to intertwine with her husband's. I cleared my throat and reached for my jacket.

"Well, Jasper, it was great to see you again. Don't be a stranger okay?" I said, cheerfully, wrapping my arms around his neck. He hugged me back and uttered similar farewell sentiments. Before he pulled back, he whispered in my ear, "remember what I said." I nodded against his shoulder and finally stepped away.

"Yes, Jasper, it was lovely to meet you," Alice spoke, politely, smiling at him. The man in question grinned at the tiny woman for a few seconds before striding forward and enveloping her in a hug. Alice seemed genuinely taken aback but did return the embrace, even if it was somewhat half-hearted.

"Take care, Alice," Rose's sandy-haired brother said, sincerely. At hearing the genuine sentiment in his voice, Alice relaxed and replied equally sincerely.

"You too, Jasper."

After saying our goodbyes to the other two occupants of the house, Alice and I left and I couldn't wait to climb the stairs of my own home and collapse into bed.

* * *

><p>At 2:00am, I was still awake, lying spread-eagle on my bed. I was completely exhausted but my mind just wouldn't shut down... Rosalie's erratic behaviour, Jake's new haircut, Alice's bell-like laughter, Emmett's hairy, bare ass… I rubbed my hands over my face and sat up in bed. <em>I need a glass of water.<em>

After throwing my legs over the side of the bed I made my way to my bedroom door, opening it silently. I crept down the hall, not wanting to disturb Alice but as I approached the door of my study, a strange, whimpering noise stopped me in my tracks. I inclined my head towards the closed door, as if it would help me hear better. "Bella," I heard Alice quietly moan out. My eyes widened in realisation and my glass of water was forgotten.

My heavy legs inched closer to the door and I slowly reached out my left hand and placed it flat against the barricade. My heart rate picked up and all my senses had suddenly become hyper aware. I had a pretty good idea what the tiny object of my affections was doing behind that door and I knew I should walk away; but I couldn't. More importantly, I didn't _want_ to.

I closed my eyes as Alice continued to make the occasional groan and whimper of pleasure. "Bella," she reservedly cried out again, obviously trying to keep as silent as possible. Something about the way she said my name sent an indefinable and _indescribable_ jolt of electricity through my body, reigniting a fire that had long since been extinguished. I took a deep, shuddering breath as a throbbing sensation resonated in my very core. My free hand twitched slightly by my side before it found its way (without my permission) to the front of my pyjama bottoms, pressing down against the fabric, but giving no relief.

Alice's moans were becoming more fervent and more frequent and I leaned forward so that my forehead was also resting against the door. I knew she was close but I didn't want her to stop. Ever. I wanted to live in this moment forever. Knowing that the door I was currently pressed against was the only thing separating me from a very horny Alice, turned me on immensely and I didn't want that feeling to end.

I needed a release.

Tearing myself away, I made my way back to my own bedroom as quietly as possible, considering my current state. Once inside, I fell against the closed door and my eyes flickered shut. Wasting no time, I slid down the door so that I was in a sitting position on the floor with my legs bent. My right hand drifted beneath the waist band of both my pyjama bottoms and my underwear and I bit my lip to keep from moaning out loud, as my fingers began to relieve the torturous, _wanting_ feeling.

I replayed Alice's sounds of pleasure over and over again in my mind and my hand began to move with more focus between my legs. I imagined her biting her lip; I imagined her tiny hands grabbing at the sheets; I imagined her looking up at me with desire in her eyes as I ran my hands over her naked body…

"_Fuck!" _I cried out, my head tilting back against the door. I could feel my lower abdomen tightening, exquisitely and I knew it wouldn't take much more to push me over the edge. Imagining Alice's face as she had her own orgasm was enough to make me fall. My eyes squeezed shut and my body jerked and shuddered, as I clawed at the floor.

A few moments passed and the blissful, calm feeling currently invading my body began to ebb away. Instead of feeling ashamed and dirty like I usually did after pleasuring myself, I felt strangely _light_; like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I clambered my way across the room and fell into bed. As my eyelids started to droop, I thought to myself: _I wish Alice was here with me._


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I appreciate every single one of your reviews!**

**Some of you won't like this chapter...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

"You should have seen her yesterday morning," Emmett chuckled, as he sat in my living room, two evenings later.

Rosalie was top of the agenda after her behaviour the other night. Her burly husband seemed to find the whole thing amusing, whereas I and (I'm fairly certain) Alice didn't.

"It was almost scary. I don't know how she made it into work," the man child finished, still smiling. I shifted my gaze to Alice, who was sitting in the armchair with her legs tucked up. The petite woman wasn't making eye contact with either me or her brother and she was fiddling with her sock.

"Well," I began, turning my attention back to the curly haired man who was sitting beside me on the couch. "You can't say she didn't deserve a hangover," I finished, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on, Bells, everyone over-indulges every so often," Emmett responded, laughing nervously, as if trying to figure out if I was joking or not. I studied his face for a moment. _He really doesn't believe there is anything wrong, does he?_

"I guess…" I mumbled, by way of a response, after a short pause. "Where is she anyway?" I asked the giant goof-ball beside me, glancing at my watch.

"Working late," came his matter-of-fact response. My forehead creased in confusion.

"Since when does Rose work late?" I questioned. To the best of my knowledge, Rosalie had never worked late in her life. As soon as the clock hit 5pm, she was out of her office faster than a bullet from a gun. Emmett shook his head, before shrugging his shoulders.

"She told me something about it on the phone but you know I never understand what she means when she talks about all that finance stuff," Rosalie's husband said, somewhat dismissively, waving his hand. It was very hard to tell if he genuinely wasn't concerned or if he was putting on a front… "Oh Alice," Emmett announced, jolting me from my thoughts. "I'm going to see mom and dad at the weekend and I told mom I would bring you along too."

Alice's head shot up and she quickly sat up straighter in her chair, her eyes widening. "What!" The tiny woman exclaimed. "Why would you do that?" She asked, sounding stricken. Emmett and I exchanged a puzzled look, not understanding the youngest Cullen's uncharacteristic outburst.

"Jeez, Ali, it's only mom and dad. What's the big deal?" The burly man inquired, with brotherly concern evident. "Besides, you haven't seen them since you got back."

The pixie-like woman shook her head slightly as her eyes absentmindedly scanned the living room. "I just…" Alice spoke again, running a hand through her already fashionably dishevelled hair. "I thought I would have more time," she mumbled, cryptically.

"Alice, what are you talking about?" Emmett demanded, sitting forward on the couch and sounding suddenly serious. Brother and sister silently locked gazes until Alice plastered a fairly convincing grin on her face.

"Nothing important," she began. "Just something I promised mom and never got around to doing," the tiny, raven-haired beauty finished, standing up and reaching for her shoes. _Why is it that I can never tell if she's lying in these kinds of situations? _Emmett must have been having the same trouble because he just sat perfectly still on the couch, not knowing what to say. "Where are your car keys?" Alice asked her brother, successfully bringing the conversation back to the point of Emmett's visit. "Bella and I need to get going before it gets dark."

After another puzzled look at one another, Mr. Cullen and I both stood as well and he tossed me his car keys. "Just bring her back in one piece, okay?" The curly haired man said to me. "And I'm talking about the car," he finished with a wink as Alice's tiny fist punched him in the arm.

* * *

><p>"That's so much better, Alice!" I praised my tiny companion, as we both sat in Emmett's car in the middle of 'our' deserted parking lot. She turned her head and gave me a beaming smile. How I didn't melt into that leather passenger seat, I'll never know. My mind instantly travelled back to my night time activities the previous night but I quickly shook those thoughts away. "Um, okay, one more time, then we better head back home. It's getting dark," I managed to croak out, after a moment.<p>

After one more steady journey around the abandoned lot, Alice managed to make a pretty good attempt at reversing between the lines of an actual parking spot before we switched places and I began to drive us home again.

"You've been a bit quiet since we left the house…" I said into the silence, without preamble, after a minute or two. It was more of a question than a statement; at least that's how I intended it. I stole a glance at Alice briefly before turning my attention back to the road. She was staring out the window and it didn't seem like she had heard me at all. Just as I had given up on getting a response from her, she sighed and turned herself more towards me.

"I need to tell them," she stated simply. _Tell who, what?_

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, quickly glancing over in her direction once more.

"My parents," she mumbled. "I need to tell them that I'm gay."

Now, it's not like I was surprised by her words; I was already 99.9% sure that Alice was gay. However, hearing her say it out loud for the first time made it sound so… _official_. Almost from day one, I felt like she had been side stepping my every attempt to get this very information out of her and now, here she was, offering it to me freely without any prompting and I didn't understand why. _Why now?_

If her parents didn't know, did that mean Emmett didn't know either? If the earlier, strange conversation between the two of them was anything to go by then my guess was, no, Emmett didn't know.

"Oh," was my highly intelligent reply. "W-Well, they'll be cool about it, right? I remember meeting them at Rose and Emmett's wedding and they seemed nice," I added, in an attempt to make myself sound less moronic and awkward.

"That's just it, I have no idea how they will react," Alice began, sounding mildly frantic. "Or Emmett," she then muttered out, almost as an after thought. _So he doesn't know_. The petite woman next to me sounded almost defeated and that just wasn't like her, at all. The only other time I had seen Alice so unsure of herself was in Forks, when she thought she had done something to upset me.

"Maybe you should talk to Em first," I offered as advice. "He's not really the judgemental type. Especially when it's someone he cares about."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," my companion conceded, after a moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice's gaze linger on me before she turned to stare out the window again. "This doesn't change anything, right?" I heard her murmur, still with her attention on the passing scenery.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a furrowed brow, turning my full attention to her, perhaps for a little longer than was safe. She met my gaze and sent me an almost pleading look, before giving me a sad smile.

"Never mind," she mumbled, turning her attention back out the window. My own head whipped back to the road and I focused my eyes through the windshield again, straightening the position of Emmett's car. An awkward silence descended upon the car and that didn't happen very often with Alice. I was wracking brain to find something else that would get her to speak again.

"If you don't mind me asking: why have you never told them?" I ventured, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter.

"I left for college when I was eighteen and I didn't come back here to visit that much," the elfin woman began, still not looking at me. "It just didn't seem necessary to tell them," she finished, folding her hands on her lap.

"But it does now?"

To my surprise, Alice started to laugh, heartily. "I'm twenty-four years old, Bella, and I've never brought a boyfriend home to meet the family," she announced, louder than I might have expected, finally looking in my direction. "Don't you think it's about time they knew why?"

She finished with another light chuckle and I mimicked her actions, but there was something off about her. Her behaviour was… strange. I had a niggling at the back of my mind which told me that she wasn't being entirely honest with me.

* * *

><p>"Is Rose upstairs? I need to ask her something," I asked Emmett, after throwing him back his keys as he sat at his kitchen table.<p>

"Oh, no, she's not home yet," the large man answered, giving a small smile while he pushed a very questionable 'meal' around his plate. My features schooled themselves into a look of disbelief and I turned my head to glance at the clock on the wall.

"Emmett it's nearly 9:00pm," I stated, firmly. "She couldn't possibly still be working at this time. Has she called you?" I finished, starting to become concerned.

"She sent me a text. She'll be home soon," he said nodding quickly, putting his fork down and turning his attention to Alice. "How was driving, sis? You crash into anything?" He inquired, with a smirk. I stood there gaping at my best friend's husband. _How can he not care about this? _Alice, on the other hand, seemed to be in a world of her own. At her brother's question, she simply giggled nervously and tucked a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. Emmett shifted his gaze and eyed me for a moment before creasing his brow in confusion.

"What's got into you today, Ali?" He began, leaning back in his chair and folding his giant arms. "You're acting really weird." Alice stared at her lump of a brother for a moment, before throwing me a look of desperation. Before I had time to react, the tiny woman threw her hands in the air, almost as a sign of surrender or defeat.

"Emmett, I'm gay!" She blurted out, all sense of decorum forgotten. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. _Okay, well that wasn't exactly the elegant, understated 'coming out' I had in mind when I suggested it but each to their own, I suppose…_

There was an odd silence in the kitchen; the only noise that could be heard was the incessant ticking of the clock on the wall. Alice was staring at the floor, standing stock still, obviously waiting for some kind of reaction. I was still staring at Alice, my eyebrows threatening to permanently disappear into my hairline and Emmett had an unreadable expression on his face, although his mouth had formed a tight line. Just when I thought the tension needed to be broken, Emmett's booming laughter filled the room, startling both Alice and myself.

"Oh, my God, Alice!" the burly man managed to get out, between laughs. "I was beginning to think you were never going to tell me!"

"Wait, what?" Alice choked out, her arms falling limply by her side and her eyes wide.

"Ali, I've known for years," Emmett stated, his laughter dying away. The tiny woman stared at her brother blankly for a moment before shaking her head infinitesimally.

"…What?" She practically barked out, sounding almost annoyed. "How? When?" Alice questioned frantically, while she gesticulated wildly with her hands.

"Well, for a start, you've never had a boyfriend, that I know of. Plus, I may have read your diary when you were, like, sixteen," the giant lump of a man finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Emmett!" Alice screeched out, stomping her foot.

"By the way, who is Maria? I've been dying to know for years!" Emmett began again, beaming from ear to ear while his sister's mouth fell open in horror. "She sounded hot!"

"EMMETT!" The tiny woman squealed again, stepping closer and flinging her purse at his giant shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't feel it, if his boyish chortle was anything to go by.

At that last exchange, I couldn't hold back anymore and a strangled laugh escaped my throat. It came out as more of a snort than a laugh, to be honest, and a blush crept over my cheeks as the two siblings turned to look at me.

"Um, I'll just… I'll leave you guys to it," I murmured, catching Alice's eye. I saw her lips pull into a slight smile and I couldn't help but mirror her. "See you later, Alice," I finished, placing my hand briefly on her shoulder, as a sign of encouragement, before disappearing from the house.

As I reached my own humble abode, I stopped just outside the door and fished my phone from my back pocket and dialled Rose's number.

"_You have reached Rosalie Cullen, please leave a message after the tone."_

I hung up without leaving a voicemail. _Something fishy is going on._

* * *

><p>"He thinks mom and dad will be fine with it," Alice said, as she lay flat on my bed next to me while I sat, propped up against the headboard, about an hour later. "You have no idea Bella, it's like an enormous weight has been lifted off my shoulders," she continued, looking up at me and smiling.<p>

"I'm proud of you, Alice," I said gently, reaching down and brushing her hair behind her ear. "Did Rose come back while you were there?" I questioned, pulling away again.

"No," Alice all but whispered out. I broke eye contact and stared at the wall in front of me. I felt the elf-like woman shift on the bed beside me and she was now propped up against the head board, just like I was. "You're worried about her, aren't you?" I heard her ask, seeing her look at me from the corner of my eye.

"Yeah," I answered honestly. "Yeah, I am."

I slowly turned my head to look at Alice and our eyes met. "Would it be weird if I said I was worried about her too?" She asked, quietly, but I knew it was a question she didn't really expect an answer to. _I don't know, would it? _I looked away and focused my attention on anything and everything else in the room. "I never loved her, you know," Alice stated abruptly. "Rosalie, I mean," she clarified. "I think I could have, though… if the circumstances were different."

I don't know why, but her words sent a hurtful pang through my body and I felt my chest constrict; so much so, it was almost painful. From what Rose had told me, I never thought Alice had been truly invested in their 'relationship.' Yes, Alice had supposedly demanded a choice from Rose but any sane person in a relationship, no matter how casual, would do that. _Right? _The raven-haired beauty's declaration, that she could (potentially) have fallen in love with Rosalie, was something I just hadn't prepared myself to hear. _She's finally being honest with you. Isn't this what you wanted, Isabella?_ I unwillingly turned my head towards the object of my affection once more. "And now? What do you feel for her now?" I croaked out, cursing the slight tremor in my voice.

A sad smile graced Alice's features. "I think we both know she will never be _just_ my sister-in-law," was the answer I got. It was an answer I already knew, to a question I had asked a thousand times, whether out loud or inside my own head. It didn't matter; It seemed to hurt just as much either way.

_Alice may not love Rosalie but… does she still have feelings for her?_

I don't know what kind of look was on my face, but it seemed to be enough for Alice to recoil from me. "I should get to bed," she whispered, moving to swing her legs over the edge. "I have work in the morning," was the excuse the pixie-like woman gave. I looked into those soul searching blue orbs and saw quiet desperation staring back at me, begging me for… _something._

_No, wait! _I wanted to shout. I wanted her to wait, so I could let myself try to figure out the mystery that is Alice Cullen. _Stay? _I begged my throat to choke out. I wanted her to stay so I could hold her and know that she was safe with me; me and nobody else.

But I didn't do any of that. I didn't do a god damn thing.

"Okay," I breathed out instead. With that, Alice bowed her head and nodded slowly before disappearing through my bedroom door, without a backwards glance. As soon as I heard the sound of her feet fade and the door of my study open and then close, I curled up in a ball on my bed and let slow and silent tears run down my face. _Have I fucked this up before it's even started?_

* * *

><p><em>Come on, Rose, where are you? <em>I thought to myself. I had called her at lunchtime the following day, pretending that I wanted to speak to her about something tonight but she informed me that she was working late again. I, of course, didn't believe a word of her story which is why I was sitting outside her office block in my beat up old Chevy, waiting to see where she was actually going.

It was 5:13pm and she still hadn't emerged from the building. As I continued to sit there waiting, I began to think that I was over-reacting. Maybe she _was_ just working late. Maybe I was just being suspicious because of all the new information I had learned about her recently. Maybe she…

My inner musings were abruptly cut off when I saw a familiar mane of blonde hair step out from behind the glass panel door of the towering building. I was focusing so much of my attention on her that it took me a moment to realise she wasn't alone. My friend was walking next to a man whose stature was slightly smaller than her own, although their hair was of a similar colour. _Wait a minute. Is that… Is that Mike Newton? _The man in question gave a fleeting glance up and down the street before he and Rose both walked off in the opposite direction of where my truck was parked. That fleeting glance was enough to confirm my suspicions. Rosalie was, indeed, walking down the street with Mike Newton - a man she had set me up on a blind date with, mere months ago. _Where are they going? _I needed to follow them.

Since my truck was loud enough to wake the dead, I needed to pursue them on foot in order to keep my presence a secret. I couldn't let Rose know that I was following her. I jumped from my truck and slammed the rusty door behind me, before taking off after them down the street.

Since stealth wasn't exactly one of my strong points, I kept tripping over the call boxes and trash cans that I was trying to hide behind. After about three blocks, my two unsuspecting acquaintances crossed the street and approached an establishment called _Garrett's Bar_. I stood at the street corner and watched as they disappeared inside, with Mike holding the door like a gentleman. _He didn't hold the door for me…_

What the hell was going on?

I needed to get inside but I couldn't just waltz in there and ask her… I needed help. I tore off down the street again, back towards my truck, nearly tripping over a curb in the process. When I finally reached my truck again, I flung the door open and instantly reached for my purse, retrieving my cell phone. I dialled a familiar number.

"_Hello?" _A masculine voice answered, after three rings.

"Jake, it's me," I replied, still gasping for breath slightly. "I need your help."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay! There is a lot of drama in this one (more than usual, anyway) and parts of it were difficult to write. I think it turned out okay, though. Reviews are always sexy :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

"Bella, you look ridiculous," Jacob stated in a hushed tone from his position beside me. "Seriously, you should just wear a pair of sunglasses and a big floppy hat; you'd probably be less noticeable."

The pair of us were sitting at a small, circular table in the darkest corner of _Garrett's Bar _and I was trying to conceal my entire body with a small, thin cocktail menu, in case Rosalie or Mike looked in our direction. Because Rose and Jacob had never met, there was no need for him to hide. In that moment, I was so pleased with myself for never introducing them. My two targets were sitting at the bar and seemed to be deep in conversation. It wasn't particularly busy but we had still managed to sneak in without detection and situated ourselves behind an already occupied table, which provided us with more cover. I was trying to be inconspicuous. Apparently, it wasn't working.

"Ssh! Just tell me what's going on," I hissed back at him, ducking my head lower, as if it would make me invisible.

"Fine," Jake exhaled, sitting back against the chair and folding his arms. I saw him discreetly study the two blondes before noticing his features mould into a look of curiosity. "Huh."

"What? What is it?" I quietly growled out with wide eyes, leaning towards him slightly, desperate for any kind of information.

"I was right…" he began, before slowly turning his head to look at me, a smirk playing on his lips. "Rosalie _does_ have big boobs." A swift kick to the shin was enough to wipe the smirk from his tanned face. "Ouch! Okay, okay… they're talking," my friend finally conceded, reaching under the table to rub his leg.

"Do they look happy or sad?" I questioned.

"I don't know. They're just talking."

"Well, do they look like they are talking about Finance?" I asked again, starting to get frustrated. Jacob turned towards me again and raised an eyebrow.

"And how exactly does someone look when they're talking about Finance?" He asked, as if he was talking to a small child, another smirk adorning his face. Jake's smirk soon dissipated and was replaced with a combined look of pity and confusion. "Bella, what exactly are we doing here?" He finished gently. I sighed and took one hand off my cocktail menu to scratch the back of my head.

_What __**are**__ we doing here? What was I expecting to see when I walked through that door? Rose straddling Mike across the bar?_

I stared my friend in the eye and saw that same look of confusion, now mixed with mild concern. "I need to know what's going on with her," I replied softly. Jacob assessed my answer for a moment before nodding his head and turning his attention back to my best friend and her work colleague. We sat in silence for a moment or two and somewhere along the line, my cocktail menu shield had been forgotten.

"Wait," Jake said abruptly, leaning forward slightly, making his chair give a dull groan under his weight. "He just gave her something. A piece of paper; a flyer or a brochure maybe," he tried to explain, squinting in an attempt to make it out.

_A brochure?_

I barely processed what my friend had said before I saw the people at the table directly in front of us stand up, their chairs making an obnoxious noise across the floor, governing the attention of everyone in the bar. My eyes widened in panic. Once they moved there would be nothing blocking Rosalie's view of me, as my trusty cocktail menu now lay useless on the table. As if watching something in slow motion, right before one's eyes, I couldn't move. My gaze was unconsciously trained on the spot where I knew Rosalie would materialise when my cover was blown. It was like one of those old black white movies where you have to wait for the smoke to clear around the steam train before the love of your life emerges. In this case, however, it was a very confused and suspicious looking blonde woman who emerged and she was staring at me with a raised eyebrow, silently asking, 'what the hell are you doing here?'

_Oh, fuck._

_Oh, fuck, fuck, FUCK!_

I continued to stare at Rosalie as she leant in towards Mike, saying something to him discreetly before getting off her barstool and ambling her way towards me and Jacob. _"Jake!" _I hissed out from the corner of my mouth. "What do I say to her?" The panic in my voice was clearly evident, even to my own ears.

"I have no idea, Bella," my friend responded, sounding nowhere near as panicked as me, but I noticed that he had gone rigid in his chair. Jacob always avoided confrontations, if he could.

"Bella," Rosalie greeted pleasantly enough once she reached our table, which seemed to be getting smaller by the second. "This is a surprise."

The blonde bombshell was showing no external signs of nervousness or guilt. That wasn't much to go on, mind you; she wasn't exactly the 'wear your heart on your sleeve' type. "Uh, yeah. A surprise," I began, trying with every fibre of my being to sound surprised to see her here. "I thought you were working late tonight?" I ventured. I was almost convincing myself…

"Oh yeah, well, we had a merger deal in the works but it fell through," Rosalie explained, rolling her eyes good naturedly at the situation. "Mike and I decided to come here for a few drinks instead. You remember Mike, right?" She finished, a smile tugging at her lips.

_How could I forget? _"Of course," I replied with a forced smile. I leaned to one side so I was able to look past Rose at Mike. He was already looking in our direction and I gave him a half hearted wave, which he didn't return. He simply gave a small nod and a tight lipped smile before taking a swig from his drink. I frowned. _Maybe I hurt him more than I thought I did when I left him in that restaurant…_

"What are you doing here, Bella? This place isn't exactly close to where we live…" Rose trailed off, suspicion colouring her features once more. "And who's this?" She asked again, this time addressing Jacob directly for the first time.

_This is it. This is how I'm going to die; getting clubbed to death with a beer bottle by my best friend for spying on her_. I could barely remember my own name, never mind formulate a convincing lie. My head involuntarily turned towards Jake and he did the same. Neither of us seemed to know what to say, as we both searched each others eyes for answers. Eventually, it was Jacob who finally took the initiative.

"Jacob Black," he said in a gentlemanly voice, stretching out his hand to the blonde. Rosalie simply stared at the offered appendage, making him retract it again. "Bella and I are…" he began, struggling to find something convincing to say. "We're on a date."

… _What did he just say?_

"A date?" My blonde friend asked, looking to me for confirmation, restrained joy already dancing across her face. _Jake, you idiot._

"Um…"

"Bella, that's so great!" Rose announced, not waiting for actual clarification, beaming from ear to ear. "How come you didn't tell me you were seeing someone?" She asked me, before realisation seemed to hit her. "Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

_Oh, that's right, my bogus excuse for calling her earlier…_

"Uh, y-yeah… this is what I wanted to talk to you about," I spluttered out before I could stop myself. I felt an uncomfortable heat spread throughout my body but for once it wasn't because of embarrassment; it was because of fear and uncertainty.

"In that case," Rosalie stated, before extending her hand towards Jake this time, which he took. "It's lovely to meet you, Jacob Black. I'm Rosalie Cullen and I think we're going to be seeing a lot of each other," she finished with a sincere smile.

I could feel the sweat forming on my brow and I swallowed hard._ It's so hot in here. I think I'm going to faint._

"I wish I could talk more but I should get back to Mike," my blonde friend spoke again, throwing a fleeting glance over her shoulder towards the man in question, almost sad that she had to leave us.

"Oh, yeah, Bella and I were just about to leave anyway," Jake jumped in. "We're, um, going out for dinner. Right, Bells?" He prodded, elbowing me gently in the ribs.

"Dinner!" Rose blurted out before I could answer, startling both Jake and myself. "You have to come to our house for dinner! My husband will just love you!" She finished, clapping her hands somewhat victoriously. _Yep, this is what I was afraid of_.

"Oh, well, I don't know," Jacob began, starting to sound a bit frantic for the first time. "That's very kind of you but-"

"But nothing!" Rose cut him off, waving her hand dismissively. "A man's got to eat. Come on, Bella, tell him he has to come."

_What I wouldn't give for a tornado to come and lift the roof clean off this bar, just for some kind of distraction. _I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans. "I suppose one night, maybe, we could, um…" _Jesus, someone stop me…_

"Perfect!" Rosalie said loudly, with a very definite air of finality. "Bella and I will discuss it and she can give you the details in a few days. Sound good?" Jacob sat in the chair beside me with his mouth slightly open and he simply nodded dumbly at the blonde. "Excellent," she acknowledged, with a nod of her own.

Rose then excused herself and began to walk back towards the bar but she suddenly stopped and strode back towards me. "Oh, and we have to make sure it's a night that Alice isn't working. I know she'd _love_ to meet your new boyfriend," she said to me with a glint in her eye that I didn't like and my heart sank at her words.

_Shit. Alice…_

With a slight smirk Rose finally made it back over to Mike and gave him her full attention once more. Jacob and I both sat in complete silence, unmoving, for a few moments before he broke the tense atmosphere. "I'm sorry," was all he said.

_So am I_, I thought to myself. This was a total mistake. If anything, I had come out of this exercise looking worse than Rosalie and I still didn't have a clue what was going on with her. I was fairly certain she wasn't having an affair but that was hardly something to celebrate. Now, she thinks I have a boyfriend and it is only a matter of time before it gets back to Alice. Things were already strained between Alice and I and this could destroy our strange little relationship completely.

I inclined my head towards Jacob and we stared at each other for a moment. By bringing him here, I had inadvertently dragged him into my soap opera of a life, just like Rose had dragged me into hers not so long ago. _What was I thinking bringing him here? I'm such an idiot_. I lowered my head in shame and stood up from the table. "Come on. We need to leave," I croaked out. With that Jake and I walked out of _Garrett's Bar_, but not before Rose caught my eye one more time and gave me a wink. I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes, which had nothing to do with the fading daylight that assaulted my line of sight as I walked outside. I barely walked three strides before I felt a gentle hand curl itself around my wrist.

"Bella," Jake whispered. I turned my face to him and the look he gave me was enough for my tears to spill over. He pulled me to his chest and I sobbed into his shoulder, right there in the middle of the street.

"I'm sorry, Jake! I'm so s-sorry! For everything," I cried into his shirt, all my emotions from the past several weeks finally erupting. "I didn't m-mean for any of this to happen!" My words were barely intelligible because my face was still buried in his shoulder, but he seemed to understand me.

"Bells," he said softly, gently guiding my face up so he could look at me. "You need to talk to Alice."

I gazed into his dark, piercing eyes and it was like someone switched on a light in my head. He knew. He knew everything. About my feelings for Alice and about her feelings for me. He'd known right from the start. That's why he wanted to meet her so badly. If I wasn't so disgusted with myself, I would have laughed out loud at my own stupidity and obliviousness. "Promise me you will talk to her," he almost begged of me and I nodded before bowing my head. That was all he said, before letting me bury my face in his now ruined shirt again.

_When did everything get so complicated?_

* * *

><p>The next morning I woke up on my couch with a splitting headache. Alice ended up having to work a double shift yesterday and my plan was to stay up and wait for her to get home so we could talk. Clearly, that plan didn't come to fruition. I sat up and rubbed the back of my neck in a vain attempt to soothe the dull ache sleeping on the couch had caused, before glancing at my watch. 10:48am. <em>Shit<em>. I had been asleep for over twelve hours. That wasn't like me at all.

I got to my feet gingerly and made my way upstairs to use the bathroom. When I reached the top of the stairs I paused and found my legs moving of their own accord towards my study. I slowly reached out and touched the palm of my hand to the door. "Alice," I called out quietly. "Alice, are you in there?" Receiving no answer, I moved my hand to the door knob, turned it and crept inside. I was left disappointed.

The room was empty.

I took in my surroundings bit by bit and the more I did so, the more I realised: this wasn't my study anymore… It was Alice's bedroom. It would forever feel that way to me now. I almost tip-toed over to her unmade bed and sat myself down, running my hand across the cotton sheets. I felt a small smile tug at my lips as I glanced over to the desk and saw my drawings still propped up against the wall. My mind wandered back to the day I first discovered she had put them there. _I would give anything to re-live that day again. I would do so many things differently._

My gaze fell to the bed again and I noticed one of Alice's tops lying, slightly wrinkled, near her pillow. I reached forward and took the item of clothing delicately in my hands, as if I was afraid of hurting it. I raised it to my nose and inhaled that heavenly, vanilla scent that only Alice possessed. It was incredible how something so simple could make my heart flutter beneath my breast; how something so simple could make me feel happy when I didn't deserve to be.

I lowered the top again and simply stared at it for a moment as it lay creased and crumpled in my hands, before slowly placing it back, exactly where I found it. I stood from the pull-out bed and proceeded to smooth out the wrinkles caused by my weight: _Hiding the evidence of my presence here_.

Walking over to the door, I turned and looked around the room one more time before continuing on my original trek to the bathroom, closing Alice's door tightly behind me.

* * *

><p>"Emmett," I greeted cheerfully at the front door, later that evening. "And Rose," I added, not quite as emphatically, when I saw my friend pop her head out from behind her burly husband. I stepped aside and ushered them both into my home, gesturing towards the living room.<p>

"Hey, Alice, get your butt down here!" Emmett called up the stairs to his little sister when he realised she wasn't in the living room.

"Oh, Alice isn't here, Em," I informed him. "I think she's at work," I finished, sitting down in my single-seat chair.

"You _think_ she's at work?" Emmett asked, raising an eyebrow.

For some reason, I suddenly felt nervous that I couldn't explain Alice's absence. "I overslept this morning and by the time I got up, she was already gone and I haven't heard from her," I replied, speaking slightly quicker than usual.

"Overslept, huh?" Rose said with a smirk, coming over and perching herself on the arm of my chair, nudging my shoulder. "Long night with the new boyfriend?" she continued, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"What? No! No, of course not," I barked out, only barely resisting the urge to push her onto the floor. "And he's not my boyfriend," I mumbled, fiddling with a loose thread and hanging my head as my guilt resurfaced.

"Come on, Rosie," Emmett started in a warning voice. "You promised you would leave Bells alone."

My friend made a huffing noise from her position balancing beside me and she folded her arms petulantly. "I only promised because you made me," she muttered and I smiled in spite of myself. I had almost forgotten what she was like when she was obsessed with my love life. Almost.

Just then, I heard the unmistakable noise of keys jangling outside, closely followed by the front door opening and that meant only one thing: Alice was home. _Why did she have to come home while Rose and Emmett were here?_

"Hey, sis," Emmett beamed, the second she set foot in the living room. Alice stopped in her tracks and took in the fully occupied room.

"Oh, hey guys," she said, sounding like her usual, joyful self, even if she did look more tired than usual. "I didn't know you'd be here." Her eyes found mine and I gave her a nervous smile, which she returned much the same way. The tiny woman dropped her purse to the floor and made herself comfortable on the couch beside her brother. "What brings you two here?" She asked our two guests, although she still hadn't acknowledged Rosalie in the slightest.

Emmett playfully pushed his tiny sister. "Does a brother need a reason to come and see his-"

"We're just here to congratulate Bella," Rose said quickly, cutting off her husband and smiling dangerously. Her outburst seemed to have the desired effect because Alice's sparkling blue orbs focused on Rosalie for the first time since she stepped into the room and I went rigid in my seat. _Oh, dear God, no._

"What do you mean you're here to, 'congratulate Bella?'" Alice asked curtly, glancing towards me and frowning slightly. My eyes widened and my head whipped around towards my friend and I saw the same glint in her eye that I had seen at the bar yesterday. _No, Rose, please…_

"You mean she didn't tell you?" The blonde asked in a faux-innocent tone of voice. My heart was racing and I turned my attention back to Alice, shaking my head as discreetly as possible and begging, _pleading_ for her to understand; to not believe what was about to come out of Rose's mouth.

"Tell me what?" The pixie-like woman questioned in a monotone, staring straight at me, but it was Rosalie who answered.

"Our Bella has a boyfriend," she announced, sounding like a proud parent. "Jacob somebody, I forget his last name. Isn't it great?" My friend finished rhetorically, her eyes never leaving Alice's face.

I couldn't move. I sat there staring at the tiny object of my affections, unable to tear my gaze away, and I could literally see the sparkle leave her beautiful eyes. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap and her jaw was clenched. I wanted to scream at her that it was all a lie; that it was all just a story to cover my ass but I couldn't do it in front of Rosalie and Emmett, so I just had to endure this torture until they left.

Emmett must have noticed the pained expression on my face and he chose that moment to save us all from the intolerable silence. "See, babe, that's why I told you not to talk about it. You've embarrassed Bella in front of everyone," he scolded his wife and gave her a playfully stern look.

"But-" The blonde began, but was cut off again by her giant husband.

"Rose," he spoke again, sounding harsher and more serious. Rosalie huffed once more and resumed her earlier pose of folding her arms across her chest. By this stage I was staring at the floor, waiting for someone to say something. _Anything_.

"I'll be right back," I heard a quiet voice say, as the sound of flat soled shoes squeaked along the ground. I didn't need to look up to know that Alice had just left the room. After a moment, I slowly raised my head and met Emmett's sympathetic stare.

"Don't worry about Alice," he said, obviously trying to placate me. "She just doesn't like to be the last person to know anything," the burly man continued, before chuckling and offering me a small smile. "I remember one time when we were kids…"

I stopped listening. I didn't give a shit about whatever asinine story Emmett was about to tell. The only thing I cared about right now had just disappeared upstairs and I had to physically restrain myself from running after her. I wanted nothing more than to throw Emmett and Rosalie out of my house and talk things through with Alice, once and for all.

"…Dad still laughs about it," I heard Emmett say, clearly finishing his story, with a boyish chortle. I gave a smile and a polite laugh, pretending that I had actually listened to him.

Nearly ten minutes passed before Alice re-entered the living room and she had changed her clothes, so she was now wearing sweat pants and a tank top. "I don't mean to be rude," she began, addressing her brother. "I'm exhausted and I need to go to bed. I'll come and see you tomorrow, Em, okay?" She supplied, although she seemed to be ignoring both Rosalie and myself.

Emmett glanced at his watch. "I suppose it is getting kind of late," he concurred. "Come on, Rosie, let's go." He stood from the couch and hugged Alice, while Rose slide off the arm of my single-seat chair.

"I'll be in touch about dinner with Jacob, Bella," the blonde boldly stated, winking at me and choosing to ignore the very pronounced scowl on my face. She strode off after her husband, swinging her hips provocatively and didn't so much as glance at Alice as she passed her.

When the front door shut behind our two visitors, the silence that fell over the entire house was palpable. I was still sitting in my arm chair and Alice was leaning against the door frame of the living room. She was focusing all her attention on the wall adjacent to where she was standing and wouldn't look at me. "Alice," I said in a raspy voice, barely above a whisper. I was trying to implore her to look at me but she wouldn't. "Alice, please," I begged again. Still nothing.

I'm not sure how long I sat there and just watched her stare at the wall. Minutes? Hours? Did it matter?

"Goodnight, Bella," Alice said abruptly, turning on her heel and beginning her ascent of the stairs. My legs propelled my body out of that chair before I even registered what had happened.

"Alice!" I called out when I got to the bottom of the staircase, but she ignored me and continued on, as if I wasn't there. "ALICE!" I shouted, climbing the stairs clumsily after her and grasping her wrist firmly, finally getting her to turn around half way up.

"What, Bella!" she barked at me, her voice sounding furious and heart broken at the same time.

"Alice, it's not what you think," I began, speaking frantically while still holding onto her wrist. "Jacob and I… we're not-"

"Oh, please, Bella, spare me," the tiny woman cut me off in an exasperated tone. "'Jake and I have a strange kind of friendship'… those were your exact words to me when you first introduced us," she hissed at me. I gaped at her. _Oh no, no, no.._. "I can't believe this! Why does this always happen? I really thought that we-" Alice cut herself off, as if she was afraid she was about to say something she couldn't take back. She stared at me sadly before hanging her head and I was sure my heart had just shattered.

"You thought that we, what?" I breathed out, after waiting for her to raise her head again, finally letting go of her arm. After briefly searching my eyes with her own blue orbs, Alice shook her head quickly and took advantage of the fact that I had let go of her. She spun around and resumed climbing the staircase with her usual elegance and grace, despite the situation.

"Alice, wait!" I cried out again, fumbling my way after her and catching her at the top of the stairs before she could slide into her room. "Jacob and I are _not_ together. We never have been and we never will be."

"So, what, you're just fuck buddies then?" The raven-haired beauty sneered, crossing her arms across her chest and tilting her head to one side. My eyebrows shot up and, yet again, I stood there gaping at the tiny woman before me. _Why won't she just let me explain?_

"What? No!" I defended, shrilly. "If you would just listen for two seconds-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Alice choked out and I could see tears threatening to fall from her beautiful eyes and that was what finally shut me up. I could feel my own face crease in anguish, knowing that I was the cause of her pain. "You need to be with the person you want, Bella. So go and be with him," Alice's tears had spilled over and her voice was quivering, uncontrollably. Without another word she turned the knob on her bedroom door, disappeared inside and closed it tightly behind her again.

My legs felt like lead as I stared at the closed door in front of me. _This isn't happening. How can this be happening? She won't listen to me. Why won't she listen to me? _I lowered my head and grabbed at my long, chestnut tresses in frustration. Alice was only on the other side of that door and yet, she felt a million miles away from me. If she wouldn't listen to what I had to say, then I just had to do something else.

Storming forward, I flung her door open with such force that it banged off the wall. I could see Alice bracing herself against the desk with her back to me, but she swung around at the intrusion. "Bella, what are you-"

My furious pace didn't falter after I entered the room and before I knew it, I was standing in front of Alice with her beautiful face in my hands. I could see tear tracks marring her perfect features and I gently brushed my thumbs across her cheeks to wipe them away, before looking deep into her eyes.

"Alice, the only person I want is you."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: For Morphy. Thank you, darlin.**

**Slightly shorter than I originally planned. The reason being, I decided at the last minute that I wanted this one to be 100% Bella/Alice. Enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

There it was, finally out in the open. The feelings I'd been keeping inside for weeks. The feelings I had been petrified to admit to myself, never mind say aloud to anyone else; least of all Alice.

As I stood there staring into Alice's hypnotic, blue eyes, with my hands still framing her beautiful face, I felt my knees begin to tremble and my throat became drier and drier with every second that she remained silent. _Why isn't she saying anything? I said it out loud, right?_

Just when I was beginning to panic, Alice slowly shut her eyes and closed the infinitesimal amount of space still left between us, resting her head in the crook of my neck. Her tiny hands clutched at the front of my t-shirt while my hands repositioned themselves; one cradling the back of her head, the other wrapped around her petite waist.

My heart was hammering in my chest and the tremble in my knees hadn't gone away. We were pressed, flush against each other but it still didn't feel close enough. I don't think I could ever feel close enough to her. I turned my head slightly and closed my eyes, burying my face in her silky, black hair and it helped to calm me down. Alice's scent was intoxicating, as it always was to me, and I was so captivated by the angel that stood, protected in my arms, that it took me a few moments to realise she still hadn't said anything.

"Alice?" I whispered in her ear. My quiet plea only made her grip on my t-shirt tighten and I took that as a sign that she wasn't ready to speak yet. I tightened my embrace around her and ran one hand up and down her back, soothingly, while the other remained at the back of her head.

After an untold period of time, I felt Alice move within my arms, so I relinquished my vice like grip on her but still kept one hand on the side of her face, the other falling limply by my side. The tiny woman slowly raised her head and looked deep into my eyes. My breath caught in my chest when I saw the conflicting emotions radiating from her blue, tear-filled orbs. Uncertainty, hope, pain, adoration… they were all there. Alice shifted her gaze and studied each and every inch of my face with curious eyes.

Without warning, the tiny object of my affections raised her right hand, ghosting it across my features. My eyes fluttered shut as her fingertips caressed my cheek, traced gentle lines down my nose and brushed across my jaw. I opened my eyes again and saw that Alice's line of sight was now focused on my chest. Her hand fell from my face and slowly settled itself above my left breast, over my heart. I couldn't stop the shuddering breath that escaped me, as a result of her actions.

"Say it again," Alice whispered, in a hoarse voice, staring at her strategically placed hand. It took me a moment to realise she had even spoken. All I seemed to be able to focus on was the position of _that_ hand.

"W-What?" I stuttered out, my eyes going slightly wide in confusion and my hand that was still resting against her beautiful face, fell to my side, just like the other one.

"I want to hear you say it again," she replied, still not making eye contact. _What is she doing? _My heart began to race at her request and as it did, I saw a small smile tug at her lips. "Say it, Bella," Alice demanded, finally looking into my eyes again. Both my hands returned to their original position, cradling her face, and I made sure I had her full attention before speaking.

"Alice, I want you. Only you."

The tiny woman held my gaze for a moment, before lowering her eyes to my chest, yet again. "You really do," she whispered, to herself more than me, sounding astonished. "I can feel it," she finished, lifting her head once more and staring at me, adoringly, with fresh tears shining in her eyes. _Did I really make her doubt it that much?_

"It's always been you, Alice," I choked out, resting my forehead against hers.

"Show me," my angel whispered. I could feel her sweet breath dance across my face and I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I slowly leaned in and tentatively touched my lips to hers. That brief second with Alice was better than any lifetime I could ever hope to spend with anyone else. The feeling of finally being able to be with her this way was indescribable.

I could taste the saltiness of her tears as I ran my tongue across her bottom lip, begging for her to let me in; to let me discover her. And she did. I was still holding her beautiful face when I felt her tiny hands grab at my hips, pulling me harder against her as we began to kiss more passionately. I had never experienced a feeling like this before, simply from locking lips with another person. Normally, it felt awkward and sloppy and nothing more than an automatic expectation of any romantic relationship. The term, 'going through the motions,' always came to mind. But with Alice? All of that disappeared. I was already creating new benchmarks in my mind and I knew that nobody else on the planet could ever live up to them. Nobody, but my Alice.

I was beginning to feel light headed and I knew I needed to tear myself away from Alice's luscious lips for much needed air. With one final, lingering kiss, I pulled back, letting my forehead rest against Alice's once more.

"Please, don't leave me alone tonight," she begged, her face looking suddenly panicked.

"I won't leave you," I reassured her, stroking her soft hair. _I'll never leave you_.

We stood like that for a few moments before Alice gently took my hand in her own and led us towards the pull-out bed. She sat on the edge, her eyes never leaving mine, before shimmying her way across the bed and under the covers. After removing my shoes and socks, I crawled in after her, positioning myself so that we were both lying on our sides, facing each other. I didn't care that I was still wearing my jeans and a t-shirt and I'm fairly certain Alice didn't care either.

There was barely an inch of space between us as I reached my hand up to brush a few strands of her hair behind her ear. A contented smile briefly crept over Alice's features, before she slowly leaned towards me and claimed my lips in a slow, lingering kiss that made a pleasant tingle travel down my spine. Within seconds, Alice's head was once again tucked into the crook of my neck and her tiny hands were gripping at my t-shirt, like she thought I would disappear if she didn't hold onto me. One of my arms snaked around her waist, while the other prized her fingers from my top. I laced one of her hands together with my own and waited for her to look up, before gazing into her enchanting eyes.

"Alice, I'm not going anywhere," I said quietly, trying to muster as much sincerity as possible. After a moment she nodded slowly and returned her head to it's previous position.

"Promise me?" She implored, her voice sounding slightly muffled and shaky against my chest. I hugged her closer to me before repeating,

"I'm not going anywhere."

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><p>"Okay, so, let me get this straight," Alice began the next morning, as we both lounged on the couch, me sitting with Alice's head in my lap as she lay, sprawled across the cushions. "You thought Rosalie was cheating on my brother, with a guy she once set you up on a blind date with, so you and Jacob followed her into a bar. She caught you, you and Jake both panicked and now Rosalie thinks you two are dating?" She spoke in a monotone, still trying to get her head around the situation, finishing with a raised and questioning eyebrow.<p>

"Yep, that sounds about right," I replied, nervously smiling down and her, before taking a sip from my coffee cup. To my surprise, the tiny woman actually giggled.

"How do you keep getting yourself into these weird situations, Bella?" Alice asked, still laughing lightly. _God, I love that sound_. I smiled again and ran the fingers of my free hand through her hair.

"I've been asking myself that question for years."

We both smiled at each other as I continued to play with the rogue tendrils of her black hair, but Alice's countenance soon became slightly apprehensive and I stilled my movements.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

Alice broke eye contact and slowly moved into a sitting position, still close beside me on the couch, her body turned towards me. "It's just…" she began, but trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Well, what happens now? I mean, do we tell _people_ about this?" The tiny pixie questioned, gesturing between our two bodies with her hand.

The way she said the word 'people,' I knew exactly who she was talking about: Rosalie and Emmett. I sighed, audibly, and ran a hand through my chestnut locks.

"Well, we don't have to tell them straight away, do we?" I ventured, shifting my own body towards her, too. "Emmett should be fine with it. A bit shocked, maybe, but fine. Rose on the other hand…" I trailed off and Alice just nodded, her eyes darting around the room. "How will she react to this?" I asked, somewhat rhetorically, and Alice scoffed.

"I think we both know _exactly_ how she will react to this."

_Not well_, was the simplistic answer. What's worse was that Rose had come straight out and asked me, several weeks ago at her mother's house, if anything was going on between Alice and I and I had denied it; not outright, but I had stuttered and stumbled over my words enough for her to draw her own conclusions. Then again, there _wasn't_ anything going on at that stage. Now, she was convinced that Jacob and I were together and she seemed to be over the moon at the prospect of being able to rub Alice's nose in it.

My inner musings stopped when I thought of Jacob. _Shit. Dinner at Rose and Emmett's…_

Alice must have noticed the change in my demeanor because she proceeded to place her hand on my thigh. "What?" She asked.

"Dinner," was all I said and Alice's eyebrows knit together.

"…Bella, it's nine thirty in the morning," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"No, no. Dinner at Rose and Emmett's," I explained. "Rosalie is hosting a dinner in the next couple of days for Jacob and I and she wants you to come as well."

"Of course she does," Alice mumbled, looking down at her hand, which was still on my thigh. I placed my own hand over hers and stroked soothing patterns across her porcelain skin.

"She mentioned it last night, don't you remember?" I asked quietly, after she had lifted her head again. The tiny beauty thought for a second before answering.

"No," she said in a murmur. "I guess I had other things on my mind." A bashful look came across her face and I saw her cheeks flush with colour. I raised her hand to my lips and kissed it lovingly, trying to convey that I understood; that I was sorry and I understood. I don't know if one chaste kiss to the hand can do all that, but it made her smile and that's all that mattered to me.

"So, what do we do?" I asked apprehensively, after a few silent moments, trying to distract Alice from the unsavory dialogues of last night. "That dinner is something Jake and I can't get out of. Even if I pretended to 'break up' with him, she would probably still find a way to get in touch with him and make him come over. You have no idea what she's like when she latches on to one of my… _suitors_," I tried to explain, mumbling the last word.

Alice was quiet for a moment and she stared down at our hands, which were now entwined. "The way I see it, we have two options," she finally said, sounding very sure of herself. "Either, we tell Em and Rosalie about us, or, we keep it to ourselves for a little while and pretend you and Jacob are together. It's your choice."

I was saved from responding to Alice's impossible question, due to her cell phone vibrating against the coffee table. She reached forward and took the phone in her hand, answering the call.

"Hey, Em," she greeted down the receiver, after realising who it was. "What? Today?" She barked out, her demeanor suddenly changing, completely. Her tone was enough to make me slightly concerned. "What day is it?" She asked her brother, her voice slightly higher than normal.

I watched as her face creased into a look of confusion, before an almost sad expression adorned her flawless features. "Yeah, I'm still here, Em," Alice mumbled, after a prolonged silence. "Okay, um, just give me an hour to get ready." The phone call came to an end and Alice sat unmoving on the couch.

"What's the matter?" I asked, touching Alice's leg after she flung her phone back onto the table.

"Emmett and I are going to see mom and dad today," the tiny woman informed me. "I completely forgot about it. I didn't even realise today was Saturday," she finished, running her hands through her hair.

"Oh," I said, moronically, before looking down at the couch cushion and playing with a loose thread. "I was kind of hoping we could spend today together," I muttered.

"I know, me too," Alice responded quickly, bouncing herself closer to me. "We're not staying, though. I'll be back home tonight," she said, sounding genuinely happy at the prospect.

The way that Alice referred to my house as her 'home,' made me immensely happy. I couldn't even remember anymore what it was like to live here without her. Or, perhaps, I just didn't want to remember.

"Are you going to tell them today?" I asked gently. I didn't need to say anything else. She knew what I was talking about.

"Yeah," she replied, in a similar tone of voice. "Yeah, I am." Alice nodded her head as she finished speaking. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself that it was the right thing to do.

"I'm sure they'll be fine with it," I tried to reassure her, running my hand up and down her arm.

"We'll soon find out."

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><p>"My mom asked me if I was seeing anyone, you know," Alice said into the peaceful quiet of my bedroom that night, after she had returned. I was lying on my back on the bed, with one arm wrapped protectively around Alice as she curled up against me, her head on my chest. <em>I could just lie here forever…<em>

"What did you tell her?" I asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

"I told her I had my eye on someone." I could tell that Alice was smiling when she spoke and it made me smile too.

"Oh, really? Who?" I inquired, sarcastically and Alice playfully swatted my arm. "They were fine with it. That's all that matters," I finished, kissing the top of her head.

Alice coming out to her parents got me thinking about the strange little relationship I had with the girl currently lying in my arms. _Am I gay now? Is that how these things work? Maybe it's not all girls, maybe it's just Alice. I've never really looked at other girls like that, though. Maybe it's… _My inner monologue was cut off when I felt Alice's hand brush against the side of my face. She had shifted her position, so she was now propped up on one elbow, looking down at me.

"That's your thinking face," she stated, barely above a whisper. "What are you thinking about?"

"Do I really have a thinking face?" I questioned, with a furrowed brow. "Jake says that to me as well."

Alice took her bottom lip between her teeth. "Speaking of Jacob…" She began, placing her hand on my stomach and I was hyper aware of it being there. "Have you decided what you want to do yet?" _No I haven't_…

I studied the raven-haired beauty for a moment, not really knowing how to answer that question. "You'd really be okay with me pretending to be with someone else?" I asked, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ear. Alice briefly turned her head to look at the wall, looking deep in thought, before bringing her full attention back to me.

"I know nothing is, or ever has been, going on between you two," she started, and I knew by the tone of her voice that she did know that was true. A slight blush suddenly covered her cheeks and she lowered her head. "Well, _now_ I do," she mumbled, sounding a bit embarrassed. "If you two pretending to be a couple will buy us some time until we decide what to do about Rosalie then, yeah, I'm okay with it." The conviction in her voice was flawless.

I raised my right hand and used my thumb to brush away an eyelash from her cheek. "You're really sure about this?"

Alice responded by shifting herself so the top half of her body now hovered over me, her two hands supporting her weight either side of me. "Bella, all that matters to me right now is that you're with me." With that, my tiny angel lowered herself enough so that her lips touched my own. Within seconds, my hands found themselves buried in Alice's already dishevelled hair, trying to pull her impossibly closer. With one last playful tug at my bottom lip with her teeth, Alice pulled back and rested her forehead against mine.

"I'll call Jacob in the morning," I breathed out, swallowing hard and I felt her nod against me. We remained like that for a few moments, before Alice moved back to her original position of resting her head on my chest.

My mind wandered back to my earlier musings. _Does it even matter if I'm gay or not? Either way, my feelings for Alice aren't going to change, so is it really that important? Maybe I should ask Alice…_

"Um, Alice?" I spoke quietly, getting her attention. She propped herself up on one elbow again and looked at me, expectantly. "I was just wondering. Um, I mean, do you think… um…"

Alice's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What is it, Bella? You know you can tell me anything."

"A-Am I gay now?" I stuttered out, looking away from her. "I mean, is that how these things work?" Alice didn't reply, making me turn my gaze back to her. She was staring at me with a small smile tugging at her lips and an endearing tilt of her head.

"You don't have to _be_ anything," she said slowly, lifting her hand and running her thumb across my bottom lip. "Just be Bella. I kind of like Bella," she added, coyly.

"You kind of like me, huh?" I smirked.

"Only kind of," Alice countered, with a mock serious look on her face that soon melted into her normal, beautiful smile again.

"Well, that works out well because I kind of like Alice," I retorted, playfully and she leaned down for one more chaste kiss, before tucking herself up beside me again. "Only kind of, though," I mumbled into her hair and she giggled. Her sweet, vanilla scent was ensnaring every one of my senses and I was certain that if I died tonight, I would die the happiest woman in the world.

"Only kind of."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: *sigh* I know. I suck. I could give you a list as long as my arm of reasons why I haven't updated, but I won't. Just know that I am beyond sorry and hopefully it won't happen again.**

**I want to thank each and every one of you who has taken the time to read and/or review this story, and a very special thanks has to go to Villemo79 and Morphy. Without you both, I don't think this story would have been continued. So thank you. And speaking of the wonderfully talented (not to mention very lovely) Morphy, I ask that you all go and read "Flume" - a refreshingly different take on a highschool Bellice fic involving Alice, Bella and swimsuits.. what more could you ask for?**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

"Wakey, wakey," a gentle voice spoke, trying to coax me from my slumber the following morning. "Come on, wake up, sleepy head. I brought you the mail," Alice said again, in a slightly louder tone, but I did little more than mumble incoherently in response. "I have coffee," she ventured, cheerily. _Mmm… coffee…_

I managed to slowly prize open one eye and the first thing I saw was the smiling face of my Alice, peering down at me. "Hey," I croaked out, my voice gravelly with sleep. As I reached up to rub my eye, I heard a tinkling giggle come from the tiny girl, who was now kneeling beside me on the bed. "What?" I questioned, finally sitting up and stretching my stiff limbs, eyeing the cup of coffee in her hand.

"You're really not a morning person, are you?" She asked, a smile tugging at her lips, as she tried to tame my rebellious bed hair with her free hand.

"It's not my fault you're ridiculously happy in the morning," I mumbled as a retort.

"Would you prefer me to be grumpy, like you?" Alice responded, raising an eyebrow and looking like she was holding back a laugh.

"I am not _grumpy_!" I huffed out, sounding more petulant by the second. Alice couldn't contain herself any longer and let out a hearty chuckle, her eyes never leaving my face. Despite myself, I couldn't help but laugh as well, after a moment. I sighed and made my own attempt to flatten the mop of hair on top of my head. "Can I have my coffee now?" I almost whined and a devilish smirk appeared on Alice's face.

"Oh, no, this one's mine. Go make your own," she announced, in a faux-innocent voice, taking a sip from the cup. "You can have the mail, though. Here." The tiny devil in disguise handed me the small bundle of letters.

I gaped at her like a fish and tossed the bundle onto the nightstand, as a genuine feeling of sorrow swept over me at the loss of my precious coffee.

"Then why did you wake me up?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together. The adorable woman beside me reached across and left her cup down on the nightstand, next to the mail, before biting her bottom lip and scooting even closer. Her eyes seemed to sweep up and down my entire body, before she leaned in towards me.

"Because I wanted to do this," she whispered, her lips no more than an inch from my own. My heart rate increased tenfold in anticipation and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard when I felt her sweet lips brush across my jaw. The sensation of feeling her mouth along my now flushed skin, was nothing short of exquisite. My hands instinctively made their way to her hips and fisted into the material of her oversized t-shirt, unconsciously tugging her closer to me when her lips finally ghosted over my own.

Alice slowly traced her nose up and down my throat, inhaling my scent, before trailing her tongue along my pulse point, painfully slowly. Both of her hands had found themselves softly stroking the length of my thighs and I was all too aware of them doing it. All of these things combined made an uncontrollable moan escape my throat and I felt tiny hands grip at my thighs even tighter. My mind was clouded and before I knew what was happening, I felt Alice shift and she pushed me back down onto the bed, straddling my waist in the process. "You have no idea what you do to me, Bella," she growled into my ear, taking my lobe between her teeth. I whimpered at her words; for two very conflicting reasons.

Half of me was crying out for Alice; the same half that was currently responsible for the almost painful throbbing between my legs. The other half of me was suddenly overcome with an immense and completely irrational fear that she was about to break my heart into a million tiny pieces…

"…_**Nobody will ever love you, Bella. Do you hear me? NOBODY!"**_

The cruel and callous voice of Edward Masen cut through my chest like a knife. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my face away from Alice, unable to look at her. Even after all these years, I still believed his words to be true. In fact, now that I was with Alice, I was _petrified_ that his words were true. If there was one person in this world who could make me happy, it was Alice. She had already reached in and pulled me free from the protective cocoon I had built around myself; something that no-one else had even come close to doing. If I ever lost her…

"Bella?" I heard Alice question, her voice sounding concerned.

"…**You're nothing, Bella. Nothing! You brought this on yourself!"**

I pushed the heel of both my palms into my eyes, as I tried to dispel Edward's phantom, haunting voice from my mind.

"Bella?" Alice repeated, starting to sound frantic, as she grabbed my wrists and pulled them away from my face. I couldn't help but look at her then, and the panic and confusion on her face was clearly evident. _She won't hurt you like that_, the logical part of my mind tried to reason with me. _She's not like him_.

Alice's eyes bore into mine, searching for answers. "Did I… I mean, should I not have…" She choked out, shaking her head, words apparently failing her. I quickly freed my wrists from her surprisingly strong grip and moved my hands to either side of her face.

"It's not you, Alice," I breathed out. _How do I even begin to explain this to her?_ "I've just… It's just been a while, that's all."

The tiny woman, who was still straddling my waist, seemed far from convinced by my explanation, but it was the only one I could give her right now. I watched as her eyebrows knit together and she looked almost pained. Before she could say a word, I guided her face down and placed a long, lingering kiss on her full lips.

"I just need some time," I told her, honestly, our foreheads resting against each other. I felt her nod her agreement and after a moment, she shifted, moving her head to my chest, over my heart.

"I love listening to your heart beating," Alice whispered, after a brief silence.

"Why?" I asked, speaking just as quietly and stroking her hair. The fingers of Alice's small hand entwined themselves with my own and her contented sigh filled the bedroom.

"It reassures me."

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><p>"<em>I'm really not sure about this, Bella."<em>

I had spent the last ten minutes on the phone with Jacob, trying to convince him that, in fact, it _wasn't_ a 'terrible plan' and that it _wouldn't_ all 'end badly.'

"It's one dinner, Jake," I began, reasonably. "You're the one who said you wanted to meet my friends, remember?"

"_This wasn't exactly what I had in mind,"_ my friend responded, impatiently. I knew I could wear him down, I just needed to be persistent.

"Come on, Jake, please?" My voice had taken on a child-like whine and I heard him sigh through the receiver.

"_Bella, I have a bad feeling about-"_

"What could go wrong?" I demanded, feeling immediately idiotic. There were a hundred things that could go wrong. An ironic laugh met my ears and I knew Jake was thinking the same thing.

"_Well, my main concern is that Rosalie is going to figure everything out and kill all three of us in our sleep."_

I had to admit, that was a very real concern of my own...

"Don't you think that's a bit mellow dramatic," I said, almost trying to convince myself, knowing fine well that it wasn't _that_ far off the mark. A brief silence followed.

"You promise it's just one dinner?"

My face split into a wide grin and I knew I had won him over. "Just one, I promise."

"Fine, I'll do it. But you owe me, Bella. You owe me big."

* * *

><p>It was two days later before I heard a peep from Rose. A breakfast time phone call from the blonde told me that tonight was the night. Now that it was set in stone, I was starting to feel quite nervous and I didn't really know why. Nothing bad was going to happen; Rose wasn't going to find out. Not tonight. It was just going to be a nice, friendly dinner with my lying, cheating best friend and her seemingly clueless husband; along with Jacob, my pretend boyfriend and Alice, my secret girlfriend.<p>

Absolutely nothing could _possibly_ go wrong.

I sighed audibly as I sat Indian style on my bed, trailing both hands through my long, chestnut locks. Alice had already left for work so I was in the house by myself. For the first time in a long time, I felt alone. Completely alone. For years, Rosalie had been my constant; the one thing in my life that I felt I could always depend on. Now, I didn't even feel like I knew her anymore. Seemingly, she had done nothing but lie to me since before she got married and now, if it ever came down to a choice between her and Alice, I would choose Alice. I couldn't _not_ choose her.

I fell backwards onto the bed, with my arms outstretched. I turned my head to the side and looked at the empty space beside me, thinking about the beautiful young woman who had been lying there, not two hours ago. A serene smile spread across my face at the mere thought of my Alice and I delicately caressed the cotton sheets, just as I had done to her soft skin earlier. "Damn, Alice. What have you done to me?" I whispered into the empty room, a smile still firmly attached to my lips. Turning my head again to stare at the ceiling, my eyes slid closed and my memory seemed to conjure the tinkling sound of Alice's laughter. If possible, my smile grew bigger, as her perfect face entered my thoughts next. A familiar fluttering in my stomach heralded the arrival of those alien, _wanting_ feelings which had alluded me for so many years, but had recently been reignited.

One of my hands found its way to my thigh and began stroking up and down, mirroring Alice's actions from two days prior. I saw the raven-haired beauty's head tilt to the side in my mind and she took her full bottom lip between her teeth. A pleasurable tingle resonated throughout my body and I squirmed unconsciously on the bed, the sheets feeling suddenly rough against my skin. Before I knew it, I could almost feel her tiny body lying on top of me, just like it had been days before, and her arousing words came flooding back to me:

"_You have no idea what you do to me, Bella…"_

"…_**You made me this way! It's your fault!"**_

My delicate angel's visage was ripped from my fantasy and was replaced by the harsh, angular features of Edward, as his barking voice tore through my being once again, uninvited. My hand shot off my thigh and, along with the other one, covered my face, in a childish attempt to hide from the outside world. _Why can't I stop thinking about him?_

The chapter of my life which included Edward was one that I never wished to familiarise myself with again. Until recently, I had managed to keep all those thoughts and feelings safely tucked away. Alice's unexpected arrival and the impact she had had on my life seemed to have stirred something deep within me; something that needed to be dealt with. There was a just one problem with that: I didn't know how to deal with it.

Rosalie, while knowing everything that transpired between Edward and I, had never actually met him. Nor had Emmett or Jacob, although they both also knew the general gist of what happened. What was left of our relationship had fractured completely by the time I moved in across the street from Rose… Edward was the reason _why_ I moved. No matter how much you try to explain to people the ins and outs of your past, they can never understand fully, unless they lived it with you. And nobody lived Edward with me.

For the second time that morning, I felt completely alone.

* * *

><p>"Stop fidgeting!" I hissed at Jacob, as we both stood on Rose and Emmett's doorstep, waiting for someone to answer the door. "And why the hell did you wear a tie?"<p>

"Well excuse me for wanting to look nice for my fake girlfriend," he responded curtly, tugging at the collar of his shirt. I raised a warning eyebrow at him and he lifted his hands in silent and apologetic surrender. "Anyway," he continued. "If I'd known you were going to wear _that_, I wouldn't have bothered."

I frowned at him, before looking down at my attire. I was wearing a pair of black slacks and a plain, white blouse. Not exactly cutting edge, but it got the job done. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked, feeling suddenly very self conscious. My apparent fashionista of a friend snorted in disbelief.

"Seriously, Bella. The homeless guy who lives at the bus shelter has better dress sense than you."

"Hey! These pants cost me-"

My defence was cut off as the front door finally swung open, revealing Emmett, who seemed to be wearing… _is he wearing a tie as well? When exactly did this dinner turn into a formal event? _"Bells, great to see you!" Emmett boomed. "And you must be Jacob," he continued, turning his attention to Jake and extending his hand in a manly greeting. Never having seen the two men together before, I had never noticed the similarities between them. Both were above average height and both had that somewhat intimidating physical appearance, which would be slightly unnerving if you didn't know them. "It's so great to have another guy around. I'm starting to feel outnumbered," Emmett finished, flashing me a toothy grin and a wink.

"It's good to meet you, man," Jake replied, sounding genuinely happy. _This is good_, I thought to myself_. Maybe Emmett will be able to keep Jake busy in conversation for a lot of the evening, meaning that he can escape the Spanish Inquisition from Rosalie…_

"Come in, come in." Emmett stepped aside, cheerily ushering us into the house. "Rose hasn't quite finished getting ready yet, but she'll be down in a minute," we were informed by our curly haired host, before his face faltered slightly. "Alice isn't with you?"

"Oh, she hasn't finished work yet. She'll be here as soon as she can," I jumped in, easily explaining her absence.

Emmett's hosting abilities stretched far enough for him to offer both Jacob and myself a drink, but before he could complete his order, Rosalie appeared at the door of the living room. She cleared her throat and three sets of eyes immediately focused on the blonde bombshell standing in the doorway. Rose had her long, blonde tresses fashionably curled to perfection and was dressed in a knee length, figure hugging black dress with a plunging neckline. That, coupled with the matching four inch heels on her feet, made it clear that my friend was dressed to impress. I now officially felt underdressed.

"Jacob!" She cooed, sauntering over to my 'date' and placing a superficial kiss on his cheek. "Glad you could make it. I see you've already met my husband," the blonde noted, turning towards Emmett.

"I was just getting drinks," Emmett informed his wife, looking like a puppy waiting for a treat. "Jake, buddy, come and help me." With that, the two men disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and Rose and I were left alone. I was quickly enveloped in a tight embrace, which lasted a lot longer than Rose's usual hugs.

"It's good to see you, Bella," my friend said, pulling back and looking me in the eye. I nodded, before vocalising similar sentiments. Taking a step back, I took the opportunity to take in her appearance fully, my eyes trailing up and down her tall form.

"Wow, Rose, you look really… expensive," I uttered, not trying to be funny. However, Rosalie laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you," she smirked. I saw her gaze fall to what I was wearing and it looked like she was about to comment, but decided against it at the last minute. _God damn it, I actually thought I made an effort tonight_. "Alice isn't here." Rose then stated, plainly, but she somehow made it sound accusatory.

"She's finishing her shift. She'll be here."

A strange look ghosted over my friend's perfectly made-up face, before she pulled me down with her onto the couch, an almost maniacal glint in her eye.

"So, tell me, how are things going with Jacob?"

For the next forty-five minutes, the four of us sat in the living room having pleasant enough conversations. Every so often, Rose would try to wangle little bits of information from Jacob, but he seemed to be fairly good at side stepping her questions, giving her only short and concise answers. As I had hoped, Emmett began to steer the conversation towards cars and video games, which made it more difficult for Rose to stick her oar in. A sudden tapping at the door alerted us all that Alice had arrived and Rosalie immediately jumped to her feet, straightening out her dress and sashaying out of the living room. I quickly glanced towards Jake and our eyes met. We both had the same look plastered all over our faces that said, 'show time.'

I could make out muffled voices coming from down the hall, before I heard one set of heels clacking their way towards the living room. A few seconds later, Alice glided into the room and my mouth instantly fell open. My little ray of sunshine was wearing a black and red, cap-sleeved, knee length dress with black heels. She looked breathtaking. As Alice threw her arms around her brother, I was forced to tear my eyes away from her when I heard the short, sharp footsteps of Rosalie quickly making their way down the hall, in Alice's wake. When the blonde re-entered the room, her arms were folded across her chest and her jaw was clenched. I knew that look. That was her, someone-just-got-one-over-on-me-and-I'm-not-happy-about-it, look. _What did Alice say to her?_

"Good to see you, Em," Alice's gentle voice spoke, and it seemed to swirl through the air. At least, I thought it did. Pulling back from her brother, she swung round and turned her attention to Jake. A beaming smile spread across her face and she practically threw herself at him. "Great to see you again, Jake. How are you?" It was obvious from the look on Jacob's face that he was more than slightly surprised by her affection, but he covered himself well and returned her hug.

"Not bad, Alice. Not bad at all."

I couldn't help but turn my head in Rosalie's direction to see her reaction and she was definitely not pleased. Her eyebrows were raised and her mouth had formed a tight line. Whatever game plan she had for this evening, I don't think it was working at all.

"Excuse me while I check on dinner," Rose muttered, already halfway out the door.

Within 20 minutes, we were all seated around the dining table, which was adorned with a table cloth and candles that I had never seen before. Rose sat at the head of the table, with Emmett and I to each side of her. Jacob sat beside me while Alice was seated beside her brother, which just so happened to be the seat furthest away from both Rose and myself. Meaningless small talk followed as we all tucked into Rose's delicious cooking. Everything was going fine… until Emmett opened his big mouth.

"Hey, Ali," he said abruptly, nudging his sister. "I told Rose about the whole gay thing, she's totally fine with it. Right babe?"

Alice's eyes widened and I proceeded to choke on my forkful of braised pork. After a few seconds, Jacob very helpfully slammed his hand repeatedly against my back. "You alright… sweetie?" He inquired, his feeble attempt at a term of endearment not lost on me.

"Yeah," I managed to splutter out, in a raspy voice. My face felt hot as a reached for a glass of water and it wasn't solely due to my coughing fit.

"Um…" Alice began, obviously trying to find something appropriate to say. "Well, that's good to know," she said with a slight nod of her head, glancing at Rosalie only briefly.

"You love who you love, right?" Jake offered with a smile, looking around at everyone around the table, after a brief silence.

Rosalie's eyes focused on Jacob for a moment before she mirrored his smile. "Absolutely." Her gaze then dropped to her dinner before she mumbled, "you love who you love," to herself, more than anyone else. Instinctively, my eyes sought out Alice and I found her already staring at me.

"Hey Bells, you ever had any lesbian experiences?" Emmett boldly questioned, as easily as if he had just asked me to pass the salt, effectively taking my attention away from the tiny woman.

"Emmett!" Alice shrieked, whipping her head towards her brother. Jacob moved his hand to his mouth, in an attempt to mask his ever increasing smirk and I somehow managed to catapult my knife off the table. I felt myself starting to sweat and I was convinced that it was lies and shame seeping from my pores.

"What?" He chortled, innocently. "I'm just curious!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie shift almost nervously in her seat and within seconds, my blonde friend's stern voice cut through the atmosphere. "Emmett, I don't think this is appropriate dinner table conversation. You're making our guests uncomfortable." Her icy stare stayed focused on her husband but instead of cowering back like I had expected, Emmett frowned, as if he didn't understand why she was scolding him.

"Sorry, Bella. I was just messing around," the burly man muttered with a slight smile, but it didn't reach his eyes, as he lowered his head and continued eating.

The silence that descended upon us was beyond uncomfortable. I needed a minute to breathe. "Excuse me, I'm just going to use the bathroom." With that, I rose from the table and disappeared upstairs.

The cool water from the faucet felt refreshing as I splashed it on my face. I braced myself against the wash-hand basin for a moment, before pulling back and staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. _You're a coward, Bella Swan; a fucking coward. _All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in my bed, with Alice safely wrapped up in my arms, and stay like that with her for the rest of my life. How could I feel that way about her, and yet, not have the balls to tell anyone about it? None of this was right. This whole charade was a complete mess. _Why didn't I at least try to worm my way out of this dinner?_

I growled in frustration, running my hands through my hair and making myself mildly presentable in the process, before opening the door and closing it behind me once I had emerged into the hallway. Just as I was about to make my way back downstairs, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Propped up against the adjacent wall, just outside Rose and Emmett's bedroom, was a briefcase. Rosalie's briefcase. The same briefcase she had with her the other day at the bar when Mike Newton gave her… _What did Jake say it was? A brochure? A pamphlet? _My mind began to race. For all I knew, it could have been a knitting catalogue… or it could have been something that would shed some light on what was going on with my best friend. _Stop it, Bella! It's bad enough that you spied on her. You're not going through her stuff too. _Whatever it was, it probably wasn't even in there anymore. _But you'll never know unless you look_…

I took my bottom lip between my teeth and my brow furrowed in anguish. I turned my head in the direction of the stairs, before turning it back to the briefcase. And I did that again. And again. "Forgive me, Rose," I whispered to no-one.

I quietly crept over and knelt down to the leather bag and slid the metal clasps open. It was filled with nothing more than dog-eared papers and documents and I found myself feeling disappointed. I slumped back onto the floor and that's when I noticed a zip pocket at the front. I reached forward and opened it up, peering inside. Bingo. I extracted, what turned out to be a brochure, on the subject of… _marriage counselling?_

"Is there something in particular I can help you with?"

My heart stopped in my chest and I froze, hoping beyond hope that I was imagining the voice coming from behind me. _How did I not hear her coming up the stairs? _I slowly stood and turned to face my companion. "R-Rose," I stuttered out. I looked into the face of my best friend, trying to gauge her reaction, but her features were unreadable. "I wasn't... I mean, I was-"

"Going through my briefcase," she stated, cutting me off. I then watched as her eyes lowered to the brochure that was still clutched in my hand. "What are you doing with that?" She questioned, the faintest hint of anger starting to creep into her voice. Instead of being frozen, my heart was now racing like a freight train and my mouth felt unbelievably dry. "How did you even…?" I could almost see the cogs moving in her head, as she slowly started to put everything together in her mind. "You saw Mike give that to me the other day, didn't you?"

"Um..."

"Oh, my God," she barked out, incredulously. Her eyes narrowed and it looked like she was scanning my face for answers. "In the bar…" She began, slowly. "Bella, were you… were you spying on me?" Utter disbelief was the only tone I could discern in her voice; as if the very thought of me doing such a thing was unthinkable to her. But I couldn't deny it.

"Rose, please, I was worried about you," I responded, speaking quickly and taking a step towards her. "I'm still worried about you."

The blonde's face contorted into a look of pure venom. "What else have you done? Tapped my phone? Set up hidden cameras in the bedroom?" She snarled at me.

"Rosalie, come on, it wasn't like that," I reasoned, becoming slightly annoyed by her wild and obviously untrue accusations.

"Then how was it!" She hissed, still having enough control of herself to not shout and draw attention from downstairs. As much as I knew I was in the wrong here, that didn't change the fact that I wanted answers from her. Her behaviour of late had been erratic at best and I needed to know why.

"You expect me to just sit back and watch my best friend fall apart right in front of me?" I retorted, my voice becoming stronger than I thought it would have been. My sudden burst of confidence made Rosalie take a step back and her head tilted to the side, in cautious curiosity; so I continued. "One minute you're crying and telling me about how confused you are about having Alice back in your life, the next, you're having sex with Emmett in the kitchen, knowing that Alice and I will catch you. You want to fix things with Emmett but you refuse to be at least _civil_ with Alice and use every opportunity you have to get one over on her. You won't talk to me about anything beyond the superficial, but you are apparently getting advice about marriage counselling from _Mike Newton_, of all people?" I paused here and looked down and the paper clasped in my hand again. "You turned this evening into a black tie event for reasons which, I can only imagine, involved making Alice feel inferior." For the first time since I had turned to face her, Rose's gaze left my face and she stared at the floor. "Rose," I said gently, imploring her to look at me again. "What are you doing?" I asked desperately, just above a whisper.

All traces of anger seemed to have dissipated and Rosalie Cullen stood in front of me looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. It took a moment, but she finally spoke. "I'm doing what everyone else in the world is doing. I'm trying to be happy."

My eyebrows knit together in confusion. I didn't understand what she meant, at all. "Happy?" I repeated incredulously. "You're torturing yourself Rose! Not to mention your husband and Alice."

The blonde tendrils of her hair fell in front her face, as she lowered her head. "You just don't get it, Bella." The sadness in Rose's voice was painful to hear.

"Then tell me!" I begged, taking a few steps forward, in an attempt to close he ever increasing gulf between us.

"This conversation is over," she responded, defensively.

"Rosalie," I said softly, closing even more distance between us and reaching out to touch her arm. She didn't shrug it off, but it didn't seem like she was particularly happy to have it there either. After staring at my extended appendage on her arm for a moment, her sad greenish-blue eyes met mine and I could see all her pain and heartache and feelings of betrayal staring back at me.

"I'm sorry, Bella." Tears were shining in her sparkling orbs, as she whispered an apology to me. I didn't know why she was apologising. I didn't _want_ an apology.

All I could do was slowly let go of Rose's arm and I watched as she retreated down the stairs again, her footsteps sounding oddly heavy. The further away she got, the more blurred her tall form seemed to me. Something had just changed between us and it didn't feel like it was for the better. I felt like I had crossed a line. Seeing the total heartache in her eyes, and knowing that I was the person who had brought it to the surface, didn't sit well with me at all. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that it took me several minutes to realise I needed to get back downstairs again, before someone else came looking for me and I ruined their night too.

Gingerly making my way back to the dining table, my legs felt like lead. "Jeez, Bella. Did you fall in?" Emmett chuckled, as I lowered myself into the chair beside Rosalie again. I gave him a half-hearted smile, before glancing quickly at Alice. There was worry and apprehension clearly visible on her face and it looked like she was physically restraining herself from reaching across the table to take my hand in her own. She knew there was something wrong.

"Emmett, honey, will you help me clear the table?" Rose said, turning to her husband. Her voice sounded a lot more pleasant than I thought it would, although there was still something almost frighteningly sad about the way she was speaking. Before answering, the giant man opposite me seemed to assess the tone of Rosalie's voice and my suddenly solemn demeanour, his eyes darting between us both.

"Of course, babe." Emmett heaved himself out of his chair and silently collected our plates and cutlery, before trailing after his wife.

Alice couldn't contain herself any longer and practically lunged diagonally across the table and took my hand, which was resting on the table, between both of hers. "Bella, what happened?" She asked, desperately. Turning to look beside me, I saw Jacob with a similar look of worry on his face. I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"After dessert, we're leaving," I replied to Alice's question, simplistically. "We need to leave."

_I need to leave…_

* * *

><p>"She knows we were spying on her?" Jacob said, loosening his tie as he sat with Alice and I in my living room, coming back to the house with us purely for appearances sake. "Shit. No wonder she was so cold with us when we left," he finished, running his hand across his cropped hair. Alice bounced over closer to me on the couch and touched my knee.<p>

"There's more. There's something you're not telling us," she stated, reading me like a book, her blue eyes sparkling. I entwined our fingers together, before letting myself fall against the back cushion.

"It's just…" I began, not really knowing how to put into words what I was feeling. "You should have seen her face. She looked so… betrayed," I confessed, whispering the last word.

"Bella, I don't want to be the guy who says, 'I told you so,' but I did warn you that nothing good could come from tonight."

"Jacob, you're not helping," Alice said, eyeing Jake with a steely gaze, her voice sounding unusually stern.

"I'm just saying-"

"Well don't!"

"Guys, stop!" I bellowed, sounding exasperated, even to my own ears. "Please," I finished, much more quietly. Alice squeezed my hand in a silent apology and I must admit, it did make me feel better.

The three of us sat in contemplative silence for several minutes, before Jake cleared his throat and stood from the arm chair. "I should get going. It's late."

I untangled myself from Alice and got up. After he gave Alice a nod, I ushered Jacob to the front door. "I'm sorry for talking you into this, Jake. I really am." He turned and looked me straight in the eye, before pulling me to his chest in a tight hug.

"Please don't ever make me do that again," he muttered into my hair. I nodded against him and pulled back, reaching past him and opening the door.

"Take care, Bella." And with that, he was gone.

Not long after, Alice and I were lying, curled up together in my bed, exchanging occasional sweet kisses and caresses. "I'm sleepy," Alice suddenly announced, adorably. I kissed the top of her head.

"Then go to sleep." The tiny beauty buried her head in my shoulder before mumbling,

"I need to pee, but I don't want to move." I chuckled at her words and shifted on the bed, so we were now facing each other.

"Chances are, I'll still be here when you get back," I reassured. She stuck her tongue out at me, but did proceed to throw the covers off herself and disappear to the bathroom. With another chuckle, I rolled over to turn the bedside lamp off, but instead, noticed the small bundle of letters that Alice had brought me a couple of mornings ago. I sat up and reached for the mail, thinking that there was probably a bill somewhere in there that needed paying. _Junk, junk, bill_… Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until I came to the last letter. I glanced to the top corner of the unusual looking envelope and my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. _Volturi Publications, Los Angeles, CA_, was stamped there and my heart began to race. _Was this what Demetri was talking about on the phone? _Wasting no time, I tore open the envelope and began to read the short letter:

**Dear Ms. Swan,**

**As I am sure you are aware, Volturi Publications has recently requested a portfolio of your work from Eclipse Publishing House, NY. It is my understanding that you currently do not have a permanent position within said company and I am writing to inform you that Volturi Publications is offering you a permanent position as an Illustrator in our Advertising Division.**

**If you are at all interested in our offer, please contact us, either by telephone or email, no later than April 21****st**

**We look forward to working with you.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Marcus Volturi.**

I couldn't believe what I had just read. One of the biggest publishing companies in California had requested a portfolio of my work, completely out of the blue, and wanted me to work for them? That was completely unheard of. A huge smile spread across my face and I was about to shout to Alice, but then a realisation hit me that made my smile disappear. _Alice_.

The job was in Los Angeles. Alice was in New York. This job was everything I had been wishing for my entire adult life, but now, so was Alice. Everything she had was here; her parents, Emmett… I couldn't ask her to move to California for me. If I did ask her, would she even say yes? The slight squeak of the bathroom door opening alerted me to Alice's imminent return and I quickly shoved the letter into the drawer of my bedside cabinet and lay back down.

"We're running low on soap, I'll pick some up tomorrow," Alice said matter-of-factly, as she glided through the door and repositioned herself beside me in bed.

"O-Okay, cool," I replied, trying my best to sound nonchalant. Of course, it didn't work.

"You okay?" Alice asked, raising herself up on one elbow to look down at me.

"Yeah, of course. I was just looking through the mail you brought up here the other day and the electric bill arrived," I explained, rolling my eyes good-naturedly.

"Hmm," my tiny angel hummed, settling her head on my chest, entwining her legs with my own and stroking her hand across my stomach. "Your heart is beating really fast," she commented, after a moment.

"It always does when you're around," I said, in what I hoped was a coy voice. Her response was to snuggle closer into me, so it must have been convincing enough.

"I really do love listening to it."

I inclined my head towards Alice and inhaled her sweet, vanilla scent. "It reassures you, right?"

"It does. It really does," she murmured, yawning tiredly.

_Reassurance,_ I thought. _I could do with some of that right about now. I really could_.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Ow! Son of a mother fuck!" I growled, having just stubbed my toe on the kitchen door. I dramatically limped my way into the room and flopped myself down onto one of the hard chairs around the table, huffing in the process. Alice turned to face me, her attention momentarily shifting from the pancakes that were browning nicely on the cooker. She raised a playful eyebrow and pointed her spatula at me.

"I can't believe I let you kiss me with that potty mouth."

I glared at her while I rubbed my sore foot. "Those kisses can be stopped very easily, you know," I mumbled, feeling like this day had already gone down the crapper. I saw a smile tug at Alice's lips, before she turned back to our breakfast. She knew that was a completely empty threat.

"Are you ever cheerful in the morning?" She asked over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes, knowing that she didn't really expect an answer to that. Ignoring her question, I glanced down and continued to rub my foot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alice shift her weight from one foot to the other and I couldn't stop myself from raising my head to watch her again. Her back was to me and she had begun humming to herself, her hips moving in time to her nameless tune. My eyes were inexplicably drawn to her pale, tapered legs which were on full display, thanks to the minuscule sleep shorts she wore to bed last night. I couldn't stop my mind from conjuring images of my own hand gently stroking up and down those legs; of my hands wandering over her toned stomach; of those shorts suddenly not being there anymore… "There's coffee over here if you want some."

_Um… what?_

Alice's voice jerked me from my slightly perverted thoughts and it took me a few seconds to process the words she had just spoken. "Um, right. Yeah, okay." I stood and shuffled over to the counter top beside Alice, grabbing a mug from the cupboard and pouring myself some coffee. For some reason, I couldn't quite bring myself to look at the tiny woman beside me.

"Here," my little Alice said, inadvertently forcing me to look at her. She reached for a plate and placed two pancakes on it, before handing it to me. "Just the way you like them." She beamed at me for a moment, before pushing herself onto her tiptoes and kissing me sweetly on the lips. Pulling back, she gazed at me with adoration and I couldn't stop the idiotic grin that spread across my face, any feeling of awkwardness evaporating instantly. My eyes roved over her delicate features: her face was free from make-up; her hair was messier than normal and looked not quite as fashionable as it usually did, and yet, she was still perfect. With my free hand, I tucked a few strands of her spiky hair behind her ear, before stroking my thumb across her cheek. I couldn't imagine living another minute without Alice by my side.

"What would I do without you?" I said, barely above a whisper, before leaning down and placing a loving kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sure you would find someone else to make you pancakes," she said with a smile, turning back towards the cooker to make her own.

"I doubt it," I uttered, grabbing my coffee off the counter and making my way back to the table. Within minutes Alice joined me, occupying the seat opposite me and pouring syrup all over her breakfast.

"So, what are you going to do today while I'm at work?" Alice asked after a moment, before taking a sip of her coffee.

_Oh, you know, I'm just going to sit here and obsess over the life altering job offer you still don't know about and then wait for my life to come crashing down round my ears, due to my inability to talk to anyone about anything…_

"Don't know," I shrugged, not looking at the tiny woman opposite me. "Maybe Rose will feel like talking today."

It had been almost a week since the disastrous dinner and I hadn't heard a peep from Rosalie since, just like so many times before. Except this time it was entirely my fault. I had tried to phone her every day but she never answered and never returned any of my calls. I even tried going across the street to talk to her in person but according to Emmett, she was always out. Unless I was very much mistaken, Emmett also seemed to be annoyed with me, which was a first.

"Still no word from her?" Alice questioned, her eyebrows knitting together in sympathy. I just shook my head and began tearing bits off a pancake with my fingers. "She'll come around; you know what she's like," She finished.

_Do I?_

Hearing Alice talk about Rose reminded me of something that happened on the night of the dinner, which I had forgotten to ask about. "Hey, by the way, what did you say to Rose after you arrived the other night? You really pissed her off." Even though she tried to hide it, I saw a little smirk appear on Alice's beautiful face.

"I told her she might want to lose a bit of weight if she wanted to wear a dress like that," Alice replied innocently, tossing a bit of pancake into her mouth. My jaw hit the floor.

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed. "Why did you say that? She's not fat in the slightest! I'm fatter than she is!" Alice looked slightly taken aback by my outburst, but proceeded to reply in a calm voice.

"I know she's not fat, and just for the record, neither are you." Alice had propped her elbows on the table, nodding her head slightly to further enforce her statement. "I just wanted to say something that I thought might shut her up for the rest of the night. You have no idea how insecure she is about that kind of thing."

"No, I guess I don't," I murmured. We were silent for a moment until I stood, pushing my chair back, the screeching sound echoing around the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I heard Alice say, her voice sounding higher than normal, as I walked to the counter with my coffee mug, topping it up. I paused before turning round to face her again. She had shifted in her chair so she was now sitting with her legs draped over the side. I ran both hands through my unruly morning hair and took a deep breath.

"It's just…" I began, not really knowing what I was trying to say. "Sometimes I don't think we know the same Rosalie. It seems like she was so different with you when… when you two were…" I finished my statement with a strange waving motion of my hand.

"Bella," Alice breathed out, standing from the chair, but not moving towards me.

For weeks, months even, I had been holding myself back from coming right out and asking Alice about her feelings for Rose. I couldn't hide from it any longer, not with my feelings for Alice getting stronger and stronger by the day. I needed to know.

"I know you said you never loved her, and I believe you," I started, rushing the latter part of my statement after seeing the look on Alice's face. "But… do you… do you still have feelings for her?"

"Bella, I want _you_." The tiny raven-haired beauty spoke in a firm voice and took a quick step towards me.

"That's not what I asked you," I responded, my heart sinking at her refusal to answer my question. My eyes never left her face and whatever emotions I was outwardly betraying made Alice's features crease in anguish. The object of my affections lowered her gaze to the floor, before moving backwards to lean against the table. She moved a tiny hand through her hair, brushing it away from her face.

"I can't change what happened between Rosalie and me," she said in a raspy voice, still not looking at me. "Will I ever be able to have a normal sisterly relationship with her? No, I don't think I will." _Is that supposed to make me feel better?_ Slowly, Alice's head lifted and her sparkling blue eyes looked deep into my own chocolate brown ones. "Rosalie was…" Alice paused again, seemingly looking for the right words. "She was everything I thought I could never have. She was beautiful and she exuded this… _confidence_ that just drew me in. I got carried away. I thought I was feeling things that I wasn't." I frowned at her words.

"I don't understand. I thought you liked her," I interrupted.

"So did I," she replied in an honest voice, taking a few more steps towards me. "And I suppose on some level I did. But almost since the first moment I met you, I realised I had been kidding myself. I was looking for things in Rosalie that weren't there; looking for things inside myself that weren't there," Alice closed the remaining distance between us and took my hand in her own. "But now they _are_ there," she whispered, lifting my hand and placing it over her heart. "They're _here_."

As I stared at my hand on her chest, I could feel the gentle rhythmic beating of my tiny angel's heart beneath my fingers and I suddenly understood her fascination with mine. There really was something reassuring about it. It was like I could feel the sincerity of her words reverberating through my own body with every beat. Alice raised her own hand and placed it over my heart, as she had done so many times before, and for the first time in years, I felt completely at peace. I leaned my forehead down and rested it against Alice's and with her free hand she reached up and gently caressed the side of my face.

"Bella, I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. Don't ever doubt that; not even for one second," she whispered against my lips. I nodded against her, before claiming her lips with my own, trying to put everything into the kiss that I couldn't find the words for. She seemed to understand and responded with equal vigour. When we finally pulled apart, Alice pushed herself flush against me and buried her face in my shoulder. My arms wound around her, holding her to me in a vice like grip.

"Alice?" I mumbled quietly into her soft hair, after a few moments.

"Yeah?"

I waited until she pulled back enough to look at me. "Do you think Rose is in love with you?" I asked, not really sure if I wanted to know the answer. Sparkling blue orbs scanned every inch of my face before settling on my own inquiring eyes.

"I really don't know anymore."

* * *

><p>…<strong>If you are at all interested on our offer, please contact us, either by telephone or email, no later than April 21<strong>**st****.**

_April 21__st__, that's still four days away. There's no need to panic, Bella. You still have time…_

It was the same pep talk I had given myself every day since I had opened the letter. Every day the same, despite knowing in the back of my mind that the longer I put it off, the more panicked I was becoming. Each day I had asked myself why I hadn't told anyone about the job offer and everything always led back to Alice. If I told her and she decided she wouldn't come with me, what would I do? Would I take the job anyway and live the rest of my life in misery, always thinking about what could have been? Or would I stay here and be with Alice, eventually growing to resent the fact that she effectively stood in the way of me realising my dream? I couldn't stand the thought of growing to resent Alice. Maybe Alice would agree to come with me just because she knew it would make me happy; my happiness at the expense of hers. I couldn't stand the thought of Alice being unhappy either.

I stared down at the now crumpled and dog-eared letter in my hand. I had developed a habit of carrying it around in my back pocket all day, every day, and I'm not really sure why. There was no need for me to even look at the words anymore; I had memorised them days ago. If anything, carrying it around with me only made me feel worse. I could feel the weight of it constantly in my pocket and it was starting to drag me down. _How can one piece of paper hold so much power?_

Slowly folding the letter again, I stood and walked over to the drawer I kept my dish towels in. I pulled it open and shoved the folded letter under the pile of materials, right at the bottom, and pushed the drawer shut again. _Oh, that's fantastic Isabella. You're safe from it now, aren't you?_

Ignoring my own sarcastic scathing mind, I sighed and returned to the kitchen table, picking up my charcoal pencil again with hopes of finishing the sketch I had started yesterday. _I'll never get the eyes right_, I thought to myself, as I studied my half-finished drawing of Alice Cullen. The image of her that my memory recalled was nothing compared to the actual beauty she possessed.

Fifteen minutes later, as I was still trying to get the spikes of her hair just right, there a very business-like knock at my front door. My brow furrowed and I glanced at my watch. _Who is coming to see me at lunch time? _With greater effort than should have been necessary, I heaved myself from the chair and made my way into the hallway. My hand paused on the cold metal of the front door handle as I frantically wondered who was on the other side. _Is it Rosalie?_

As I slowly opened the door, I felt my heart sink when I saw Emmett's tall and burly form revealed to me. He had a solemn and serious look on his face and he was wearing a high visibility jacket and dirty jeans, indicating that he had just come from work. I definitely hadn't been expecting him and to be honest, I think I would have preferred a show down with Rosalie, rather than an answer seeking conversation with Emmett, which I was sure this was going to be.

"Em, this is a surprise," I said, stepping to the side and holding the door open a little wider. Emmett simply nodded and loped his way into my home, heading for the kitchen. I took my time closing the door, trying in vain to put off the inevitable. I eventually followed in his wake, ambling all the way, but as soon as I caught sight of him in the kitchen I froze. He had my sketch pad in his hands and he was intently studying the charcoal drawing that was very obviously his little sister. I couldn't move; my legs felt like lead and my voice didn't seem to want to work. All I could do was stare at him, my arms rigid by my sides.

"It's good," Emmett finally said, still looking at the picture before him. "You got the eyes just right." My face flushed with colour at his words and I lowered my head in an attempt to hide it.

"It's p-practice," I managed to wheeze out, chancing a look at Emmett from under my lashes. A small but genuine smile spread across my guest's features, as he turned to face me for the first time. He must have sensed my unease because his face softened even more at seeing my awkward demeanour. He placed the pad back on the table and lowered himself into the seat I had previously occupied.

"Ever since Alice finally told me about the whole gay thing," he said, skimming his hand across his dark curls. "I've been wondering why she did it; why now? And I decided that it was because she has finally met someone she truly loves." My heart rate increased astronomically; so much so that I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest. _Someone she truly loves? _"It's you, Bella, isn't it?"

I could feel the heat creeping up my neck again and I shuffled forward, placing my hand on the table to support myself, just in case my knees decided to buckle beneath me. _Could I tell him? Would he tell Rosalie? What would Alice do if she was here right now? By the sound of it he already knew anyway... _

…_Someone she truly loves?_

"H-How did… why do you–"

"Is it true?" He questioned, cutting me off, his voice sounding eerily calm. "It doesn't bother me, if that's what you're worried about. If it's true, then I'm happy for you both." Now that I was standing closer to him, I noticed that Emmett looked extremely tired and the mischievous gleam that usually twinkled in his eyes was no longer there. He looked deflated; broken almost. He was looking at me expectantly and before I could stop myself, I nodded, confirming what he already thought to be true. Another smile spread across his face and he nodded himself, in understanding. "And Jacob?" He pushed, catching me completely off guard with his stream of short, concise questions.

"A friend," I croaked out. Something about the way Emmett was talking made me feel very uncomfortable in his presence, which was something that had never happened before. I didn't think it _could_ happen with Emmett. He proceeded to shake his head; a barely there movement, but I noticed it.

"I don't understand. Why did you–" Emmett began again, before cutting himself off and slumping slightly in his chair. "That's not important right now," he continued quietly, more to himself than to me, as he began toying with a worn corner of my sketch pad. "This isn't why I came here." _Jesus, there's more?_

I wasn't sure how much more I could take today.

Abruptly, Emmett's giant form stood from the table, the material of his reflective coat rustling as he moved. He moved over to the sink, leaning against it. "If I asked you what you and my wife fought about the other night at dinner, would you tell me?" He asked, addressing his question to the floor. _Did Rosalie tell him we fought?_

"What makes you think we had a fight?" I responded, as innocently as possible. He then raised his head to look at me and raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"I know you both well enough to know when you've had a fight, Bella. I'm not as big an idiot as everyone seems to think I am." There was a hint of irritation starting to creep into his voice and my brow furrowed in confusion at his odd statement.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, not following his thought process. My eyes followed Emmett as he scratched the back of his neck nervously, before shifting himself so he was looking out of the window, his back to me.

"Do you ever have that feeling when you think everyone is having a laugh at your expense? Or when everyone knows the punch line of a joke but you?" He spoke suddenly, and somewhat cryptically. I was becoming more and more concerned by the second at Emmett's strange behaviour. I moved slightly closer to him, despite knowing that he couldn't see me, my hand now resting on one of the chairs for support instead of the table.

"Emmett, nobody is laughing at you."

My friend swung around and threw both hands out to the side, almost as a sign of surrender, making me take a step back again. "Then why do I feel like you all know something I don't?" _That would be because we do_. "Rosalie…" He started again, pausing briefly to take a deep breath. "She's not the woman I married anymore, and I can't help but think that you know the reason why," he continued, sounding frantic and desperate. _Well, that's not entirely true… _Emmett was staring me hard in the face, desperate for me to give him answers that he knew deep down I couldn't give him, even if I did know them. This was beginning to feel like a rehash of the conversation the two of us had when Rosalie disappeared off to her mother's. Despite everything that had happened between that time and this, I still couldn't tell him anything. As much as it broke my heart to see him like this, I couldn't be the one to tell him.

"Em," I said gently, finally closing the space between us and placing my hand on his shoulder. "I can't give you the answers you want. Only Rose can do that." His sad eyes searched my face before he finally lowered his head and nodded his acceptance of my statement. I felt his fingers curl around my free hand.

"I know it's not fair of me to come here and say these things to you, Bella, but…" His voice began to quiver and I could see tears sparkling in his eyes. "I just want my wife back," he finished, sounding like a child who had his favourite toy taken away from him. My own face creased in sympathy and I hugged my friend, giving as much comfort as I could to a man who was head and shoulders taller than me.

"Can you just... can you just answer me one thing?" Emmett implored, when he finally released me from his bear like embrace, wiping frantically at his eyes. I stiffened slightly in anticipation of a question I was sure I wouldn't want to answer. "Is she cheating on me?"

_Cheating? As in the present tense?_ "No, I don't think so," I responded simplistically, with no intention of elaborating. That one simple line seemed to act as a lifeline for him and made him relax infinitesimally and I knew he wouldn't ask me anything more. He glanced at his watch.

"Shit," he murmured, sounding flustered, already striding towards the door. "I have to get back to the site. I'll let myself out." Just before he disappeared from sight, he stopped and turned back towards me.

"Thank you, Bella," Emmett stated firmly and sincerely.

"What for?" I was the last person in the world he should be thanking for anything.

"For making Alice happy," he stated plainly. "I'm guessing Rosalie doesn't know?" _Fuck, I hope not; not yet…_ I simply shook my head in response and he gave me a small smile. "I won't tell her. This is something she needs to hear from you." A meaningful look passed between us and Emmett smiled again. "Please take good care of my sister, Bella. God knows, she deserves it." With that, he vanished from the kitchen and a few seconds later I heard the front door close behind him.

I stood rooted to the spot, my eyes being drawn to Alice's likeness on my kitchen table. Tears began to well in my eyes and I pulled out the closest chair to me and fell into it. With my elbows on the table, I buried my face in my hands. "Shit," I sobbed out, as my tears finally fell.

* * *

><p>Alice and I were sitting at opposite ends of the couch that evening, me having just told her everything that happened earlier, both of us with our hands resting in our laps.<p>

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," the tiny woman finally said, sounding genuinely sorry. I moved my head to look at her, before reaching across and taking one of her hands in my own.

"In a weird way I think it's better that you weren't here." She looked like she wanted to challenge my statement, but changed her mind at the last second. Instead, she slid closer to me and entwined her other hand mine as well.

"But he's fine with it, right? And he said he wouldn't tell Rosalie?" Alice asked, wanting me to reaffirm what I had already told her. I nodded to show that she had understood me correctly. "Well, this is a good thing, isn't it? All we have to do now is figure out the right way to tell Rosalie and…" She stopped suddenly, mid flow, and looked down at our interlocked fingers. "And then we don't have to hide anymore," she finished, barely above a whisper.

_Now! Tell her now!_ My mind screamed at me. _Tell her before you start making promises you don't know if you will be able to keep!_

"A-Alice," I stuttered out. She slowly raised her head and tilted it to the side, looking like a curious kitten. I could do nothing to stop the grin that spread across my face, at the sight of her looking so endearing. She beamed back at me and I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell her now. "I-I should get started on dinner," I finished lamely.

_I'll talk to her later. Definitely later._

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, before standing and making my way to the kitchen, while Alice remained in the living room. _You're a fucking coward, Isabella_.

As I stood and watched the defrosting chicken rotate in the microwave through the glass front, I heard a knock at my front door. _If that's Emmett again, I swear, I'm going to climb out this window…_

"Alice, will you get that!" I called out, hearing the living room door creak open and Alice's footsteps walking towards the front door. I turned round and lifted the glass of water I has just poured from the table and took a big gulp.

"Bella?" Alice's uncertain voice could be heard over the dull thrum of the microwave and a sudden shiver ran down my spine. Something was wrong. With my glass still in hand, I cautiously crossed the threshold of the kitchen and started down the corridor. It seemed longer than it usually did and at the end I could see Alice standing with her back to me, in front of the open doorway, blocking my view of our visitor. She must have heard me coming because she turned to look at me, a completely unreadable expression on her face. Slowly she moved to the side, revealing a tall, bronze haired man, whose face split into a lopsided smile at the sight of me. My water glass slipped through my fingers, shattering on impact with the hard wood floor and I felt my heart stop.

"Bella," his smooth, velvety voice spoke.

"E-Edward."

_When did they let him out?_


End file.
